A Regular Outbreak
by RegularShowMemorabilia
Summary: An apocalypse has struck the world, people begin to die and relationships begins to crumble. But through it all, Mordecai and Rigby find something to keep them going. They come across a little boy, who eventually is left alone. The two lovers teach the child how to survive, in a perilous world, where being alone is the only way to really be safe. (COMPLETE!)
1. Episode One: Prologue

**A Regular Outbreak**

**SEASON ONE: AMERICA'S DOWNFALL**

**Finally, welcome to another story. I've enjoyed this break from writing though I'm happy to be writing again.**

**Here's some things that will/won't be changing;**

**Since this is an outbreak story, there will be a Day Counter.**

**The Chapter structure will be similar to FAF.**

**The characters are not invincible and there will be no way to save someone who's been infected, so sorry guys, no exceptions.**

**Author's Notes will be at the end of the chapter.**

**Let's begin.**

**Episode One: Prologue**

**18****th**** July, 2023, Early Morning, 2 Years after Gold Watch, 1 Month after Expert or Liar**

**Day 0**

_4 Years Later_

"We shouldn't still be here." Rigby commented, while raking the leaves with his friend.

"I know right? How long's it been, five? Six years?" Mordecai rolled his eyes.

"I know!" Rigby exclaimed, tempted to just throw his rake down.

"Come on you two, keep going." A voice ordered.

"Whatever dude." Rigby ignored the voice.

"Rigby, what did we talk about?" The same voice asked, as the owner of the voice seemed to get closer.

"'Never disobey your superior', blah, blah, blah." Rigby mocked the voice.

"Don't make me do it." The voice stood beside Rigby.

"Lay off Mitch." Mordecai ordered, earning a glare from the male.

"Whatever, just get back to work." Mitch walked off. As soon as he got out of the two male's sights, the two males began to speak.

"How did Muscleman ever become the boss?" Rigby scoffed.

"Dunno." Mordecai shrugged, and continued to rake.

A lot has happened since Feathers and Fur, Benson lost his job and Mitch took his place, Micheal left Twin Peaks and is living in New York, Hi-Five Ghost and Muscleman became enemies instead of friends and HFG quit. Mordecai and Rigby haven't quit yet, because they didn't have any job to fall back on. Pops and Skips still work at the park though. Felix married a girl, who looked similar to Riley.

Back to the story, Mordecai and Rigby finished raking and walked back to the house, they both sat beside each other on the couch, with newspapers in both of the male's hands.

"Dude, did you find anything yet?" Mordecai asked, looking at the newspaper.

"No other job." Rigby answered, looking at his own newspaper.

"Oh! I found something." Rigby said, sitting more up-right and holding the newspaper tightly with his paws.

"What is it?" Mordecai asked, peering over the raccoon's shoulder.

"Translator." Rigby read.

"Nope." Mordecai shook his head.

"Game designer." Rigby read.

"Really? For what company?" Mordecai asked.

"EA." Rigby answered.

"Hell no, anyway, didn't they go bust last year?" Mordecai looked over at his friend.

"Yeah, they did. How old is this newspaper?" Rigby asked.

"Check the back." Mordecai glanced at Rigby's newspaper.

"4th of June 2022." Rigby threw the newspaper away, "figured, Mitch never checks the mail."

"Hey guys." Skips walked into the living room.

"Hey Skips." Rigby and Mordecai looked over the sofa.

"What's with the newspapers?" Skips asked, leaning on the back of the couch.

"We're looking for another job." Mordecai answered.

"I hear you." Skips nodded.

"Really?" Rigby looked surprised.

"I gotta admit, I miss the old Muscleman." Skips sighed.

"Same here." Mordecai and Rigby said at the same time.

"Where's Benson now?" Rigby asked.

"Well, apparently he got a job at the rival park." Skips answered.

"Good for him." Rigby nodded.

"I can't believe we actually miss him, eh?" Mordecai chuckled.

"I know." Skips rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna go back to work, see you." Skips walked out.

"Cya Skips." Mordecai watched Skips walk out. "Wanna play some video…" Mordecai noticed Rigby dozing off on the couch. "…games…" Mordecai smiled. Mordecai smiled at his friend and sat beside him.

"'Night." Mordecai leant against Rigby's shoulder and dozed off.

_That Evening_

The house was quiet, Mordecai and Rigby were asleep on the couch, while Pops was out with Skips at the pub. Mordecai opened his eyes slightly and yawned. Suddenly, something smashed against the front window of the house. There was someone outside.

"Urgh…Muscleman probably got drunk again…" Mordecai rolled his eyes. Mordecai noticed his spouse laying across his lap, he cautiously moved Rigby off of him and stood up. He walked over to the window, and was startled when he noticed that it wasn't a person; it was a mutant.

"The hell?" Mordecai backed off. Suddenly, more of them were converging onto the porch.

"Oh dude…" Mordecai's eyes widened. The window suddenly broke open and the mutants began to enter the living room. Mordecai ran over to the couch and shook his friend.

"Rigby! Wake up dude!" Mordecai shouted, frantically. Rigby didn't budge.

"Rigby!" Mordecai punched his friend.

"Ow! What's your problem!?" Rigby shouted, waking up and rubbing his face.

"Sorry man." Mordecai apologized.

"So…what's the p- Oh shit!" Rigby looked over at the window.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Mordecai shouted, grabbing his friend's paw.

Mordecai and Rigby ran to the kitchen door, but suddenly noticed more of the mutants were already in there.

"Up the stairs!" Rigby directed. Mordecai and Rigby ran towards the staircase, frantically trying to escape the mutants pursuing them.

Mordecai and Rigby sprinted up the stairs, they needed to reach their destination; their room. They sped down the hallway and made it to the door.

"In!" Mordecai shouted, opening the door and letting his friend in first. Mordecai quickly ran inside and shut the door after him.

"What do we do!?" Rigby exclaimed, taking a few steps back from the door.

"Grab the bed! We'll put it in front of the door!" Mordecai directed. Mordecai and Rigby ran over to their bed and picked it up, a few seconds later, they sat it in front of their bedroom door and stood back.

Rigby was cowering in fear, they approached the door, he couldn't see through it, but he knew they were coming.

"What're we going to do?" Rigby asked his friend, standing beside him.

"For once…I don't know…" Mordecai sighed and grabbed Rigby's paw.

"Are…you giving up?" Rigby asked.

"It'll be painless right?" Mordecai asked.

"Dude, they've got teeth." Rigby noted. Mordecai glanced at the door, the hinges of the door were slowly coming off the frame.

"I'll protect you, don't worry." Rigby said.

"Oh no you don't, I'm protecting you." Mordecai looked down at his friend.

"Well…what should we do?" Rigby asked. Mordecai scanned the room.

"Is there anything we can fight with?" Mordecai asked.

"No dude…Benson made us remove all the 'weapons' from our room, after what happened to Pops." Rigby shook his head.

"Dude, can we…jump out the window?" Mordecai said, walking over to the window*. Rigby followed his friend and looked down.

"Dude…that's pretty high off the ground." Rigby noted.

"I can see that." Mordecai sighed.

"How many are out there?" Rigby asked, looking at the door.

"I don't know…dozens? Maybe hundreds? Who knows?" Mordecai sighed.

"Think dude! We're gonna die if you don't!" Rigby looked up at his friend, seeking guidance.

"We're gonna have to jump dude, there's no other way." Mordecai said, opening the window.

"You sure? It looks pretty high." Rigby jumped up onto the window sill.

"Don't worry, I'll go down first and I'll catch you." Mordecai said.

"Are you sure?" Rigby turned to his friend, who looked uncertain.

"Well…do you trust me?" Mordecai asked.

"Yes, with all my heart." Rigby replied, honestly.

"Then let me go first." Mordecai ordered. Rigby glanced at Mordecai, once again a worried look on his face.

"I thought so." Mordecai smiled at his friend and opened the window. Rigby watched his friend crawl through the window and onto the roof.

"Okay…" Mordecai muttered to himself, balancing himself. Mordecai looked around for somewhere to drop down, but there was nowhere safe, he'd break his legs if he jumped.

He scanned the roof and noticed a drainpipe leading to the ground. "No…" Mordecai muttered to himself, before going towards the front of the roof.

"I could jump down there…" Mordecai looked down.

"Nope." He said to himself. The whole front of the house was covered with the infected. Mordecai quickly went to the back of the roof and dropped down the drain pipe.

"Rigby!" Mordecai whispered loudly.

"Where are you?" Rigby whispered, just as loud as Mordecai. Mordecai came to the left side of the house and saw Rigby looking through the window.

"Go through it, I'll catch you!" Mordecai whispered, loudly.

Rigby pinched his nose. "I trust him…I trust him…" Rigby muttered to himself as he crawled through the window. Rigby looked down, he almost felt like puking. He never did like heights. Rigby looked down at his friend, he noticed Mordecai was ready to catch him. Rigby held onto the window, he closed his eyes, then he let go. A few seconds later, Mordecai caught his friend.

"Nice catch, now let's get out of here." Rigby said, congratulating his friend.

Mordecai ran off, with his friend in his hands.

"Where do we go?" Rigby asked.

"I don't know dude, look around!" Mordecai looked around him. It seemed the whole park was covered with mutants.

"Wait, isn't there a bomb shelter beside the house?" Rigby asked.

"Yes! There is!" Mordecai changed direction.

"There it is!" Rigby pointed. It was the bomb shelter. Mordecai put Rigby down and opened the door to the shelter. "In!" Mordecai shouted, watching the raccoon run into the bomb shelter.

"Shouldn't the door have been locked?" Rigby asked.

"I don't care, let's just shut ourselves in." Mordecai stepped into the bomb shelter and closed the door and locked it from the inside.

Mordecai walked further into the bomb shelter.

"Rigby? Where are you?" Mordecai called.

"I don't know!" Rigby shouted back.

"Let me find the lights." Mordecai felt the wall.

"There it is." Mordecai switched it on. Suddenly, he noticed Rigby was not by himself, HFG and Skips were in there aswell.

"Wow! You're alive!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"It's so good to see you guys." Rigby hugged them.

"We thought you guys were dead." HFG commented.

"Same here." Rigby nodded.

"Where's Muscleman?" Mordecai asked. There was silence.

"And Pops?" Rigby's head turned a little.

"They're both dead." HFG sighed.

"What!? How?" Mordecai exclaimed.

"We don't know, just after the house was attacked, I found Pops dead in front of Muscleman's trailer, then HFG found Muscleman dead in his trailer." Skips explained.

"This is so screwed up…" Rigby held his head.

"Calm down…" Mordecai comforted his friend.

"At least we got food in here." Mordecai commented, looking at the shelves.

"Yeah." Rigby sighed, "and power." Rigby shrugged. Suddenly, the power went out.

"Shit."

**I thought it was a small, crappy chapter, but whatever. Review, Comment, Like and whatever, see you.**

**UPDATE: 28/05/2015: It's been a long time hasn't it? I was bored, so I'm going to hopefully be fixing all grammatical, spelling and any other error that this story had. And if some people who have already read it see this again, I hope they enjoy reading it for a second time. **

**R.S.M.**


	2. Episode Two: Bad Circumstances

**A Regular Outbreak**

**SEASON ONE: AMERICA'S DOWNFALL**

**Episode Two: Bad Circumstances**

**18th July, 2023, Early Morning, 2 Years after Gold Watch, 1 Month after Expert or Liar**

**Day 0, 20 Minutes before the 'Prologue'**

Felix held a bag of groceries and pushed the door of his house open with his back. He walked in slowly and sat the bag of groceries on a nearby bench. The door shut behind him.

"Is that you, honey?" A voice asked, in the next room.

"Yeah." Felix replied, unpacking the groceries. The voice walked in, it was Felix's wife, which looked similar to Riley.

"How was work, honey?" Felix asked.

"Calm, not as busy as usual." She replied.

"That's good, dear, is Chris still at school?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, Oh! And I also grabbed the mail." Felix handed over a few letters to his wife.

"Bills, Bills…" She threw some of the letters into the bin beside her.

"Ah! Felix and Taylor Marsh, you've won four million dollars." Felix's wife read.

"Honey, it's a scam, read the rest of it." Felix said, opening the fridge.

"Thank you for entering this competition…um…" Taylor turned the envelope, searching for something.

"It doesn't say which competition." Taylor commented.

"And, there you go." Felix chuckled, emptying the bag of groceries into the fridge.

Taylor ripped the letter up.

"Meh." She shrugged and walked over to the couch.

"What's on TV?" She asked herself as she grabbed the remote.

"I'm gonna head upstairs." Felix said, walking out of the kitchen.

"Wait dear, do you mind taking out the trash?" Taylor asked.

"No problem." Felix walked over to the front door and grabbed the garbage can.

"Back in a sec." Felix said, walking outside. Taylor watcher her husband walk out and switched on the television.

"…I'll be back." The television spoke.

"Oh god…Terminator…" Taylor switched the channel.

"Civilians are urged to stay in their homes until the issue is dealt with." The television spoke.

"Say what?" Taylor asked, confused.

"The following areas have been affected; Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa." The television spoke.

"Jesus Christ…wait…Pennsylvania? That's where we are!" Taylor exclaimed. Felix walked in and stopped behind the couch.

"What's going on?" Felix asked.

"Watch." Taylor turned the volume up on the television.

"The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, so once again you're being advised to stay in your homes." The television spoke. Taylor switched off the television.

"Infection?" Taylor looked over at Felix.

"That doesn't sound good." Felix commented.

"Is it bad?" Taylor asked.

"Dunno, but…I guess we shouldn't take a risk." Felix rubbed his chin.

"What do you mean?" Taylor asked, confused.

"Grab some food out of the cupboards, and some water, we're going into the panic room." Felix stated.

"Oh…okay." Taylor stood up and walked into the kitchen.

A few seconds later, Taylor and Felix's son; Chris walked in.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Chris shouted, as he entered.

"Chris, help us pack the panic room, there's something going on!" Felix shouted.

"What?" Chris asked, surprised.

"Just do it!" Taylor shouted.

"O-Okay…!" Chris walked into the kitchen.

_3 Hours later, at the park._

It was pitch black in the bomb shelter, and it was silent. Rigby was cowering in one of the corners of the shelter, while Mordecai was comforting him. Skips was asleep close by, while HFG was floating beside the door of the shelter.

"We're all gonna die…" Rigby muttered.

"Now we won't." Mordecai sighed.

"For god's sake, we've been in here for hours!" HFG exclaimed.

"We know, but we can't go outside." Mordecai looked over at HFG.

"I don't hear anything, let's just go." HFG said, grabbing the door.

"Christ…Skips, wake up. We're leaving." Mordecai helped Rigby up.

"Oh…alright." Skips yawned and stood up.

Rigby ran to the door, and stood beside HFG.

"So eager." Mordecai rolled his eyes and walked over to the door with Skips. HFG placed his hands on the door and opened it.

"Ahh…fresh air." Rigby said, walking out with HFG. Mordecai and Skips followed them outside.

"Wow…what happened out here?" Mordecai asked, looking around.

The park was a wreck, the house was almost destroyed and there were no trees.

"Where is everyone?" Rigby asked.

"Not sure." Mordecai glanced at the house.

"Should we go back to the house?" HFG asked.

"I don't know…maybe." Skips glanced at the house.

"One question, those things that chased us, were they mutants, or zombies?" Rigby questioned.

"Dunno, it seemed like they were both mutants and zombies but…I can't be sure." Mordecai sighed.

"Wait, why don't we call Felix? Or Margaret or someone? And see if they're okay?" Mordecai asked.

"Meh." Rigby shrugged.

Mordecai pulled out his phone.

"Great, no service." Mordecai sighed.

"Well, what do we do?" Rigby asked.

"Should we…walk?" Rigby asked.

"Why don't we just have a look in the house, maybe we can use Benson's computer?" ordecai suggested.

"Good idea." Skips nodded. Mordecai, Rigby, Skips and HFG walked into the house and walked into the remains of the computer room.

"No computer." Skips stated.

"What!?" Mordecai exclaimed.

"No!" Rigby shouted.

Rigby walked out, while the other three stayed in the computer room.

"What happened to the computer?" Mordecai asked.

"Not sure, but it looks like it's been unplugged." HFG commented.

"Well, no shit!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"The military has closed off most of the eastern states of America, due to the infection spreading. The military have told us most of the towns in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina have already been overthrown by the infection. We've also been told that the military have given up on helping those states, due to how many people are dead. We at Channel 1, say, that if anyone in those states is alive, may god be with you." The television spoke.

"What the?" Mordecai asked, walking into the living room.

"Dude! Did you hear that? They gave up!" Rigby exclaimed.

"Oh man." Mordecai sighed.

"What are we gonna do?" Skips asked.

"Not sure, if they've given up, that means we'll have to leave Pennsylvania." HFG explained.

"I don't want to leave this place." Mordecai sighed.

"None of us do." Skips shook his head.

Meanwhile, at Felix's house, he Chris and Taylor were still in the panic room.

"Well, I'm bored." Chris muttered.

"Same here." Felix sighed.

"Are we going to die here?" Taylor asked.

"W-Why would you ask that, dear?" Felix asked, shocked.

"The news broadcast said that there was an infection…doesn't that mean we're infected too?" Taylor asked.

"Wow. I can't believe you just said that." Felix said.

"Sorry." Taylor sighed.

"Don't worry, we're fine. We'll survive." Felix comforted her.

At the same time, in the state of New York, Micheal, his wife and son were in their car, driving away from New York.

"What is wrong with everyone, daddy?" Micheal's son asked.

"You tell him Carly, I'm trying to drive…" Micheal said, in an angry voice.

"Sean…um…people are just sick…okay? Just try not to worry about it." Micheal's Wife; Carly, turned around and looked at her son.

"Oh…okay…" Sean sighed.

"Micheal…we've been driving for ages, where are we even going?" Carly asked.

"Out of here." Micheal replied.

"Honey…Sean's scared, he needs some closure. Do we even have a plan?" Carly asked.

"I…I'm not sure…" Micheal sighed. Micheal looked back at the road and noticed something.

What the hell?" Micheal suddenly stopped the car.

"What is it?" Carly asked. "The military…?" Micheal gasped.

"They've closed off the border!" Carly exclaimed. Micheal got out of the car, with his wife and son and walked up to one of the military personnel.

"Um…excuse me sir, is it possible to cross the border...?" Micheal asked.

"Sorry sir, Pennsylvania has been emptied of survivors, there's nobody left and there's no reason to enter." The man answered.

"But…I've got friends…family in there." Micheal pleaded.

"Sorry sir, there's nobody left." The man lied. Micheal looked at his family, who were standing beside their car and sighed. He walked back to the car.

"Honey? What did they say?" Carly asked.

"He said…they're all dead." Micheal answered, getting into his car.

"What do you mean? Who?" Sean asked.

"Some…really close friends of mine." Micheal sighed.

"Sorry Micheal." Carly got into the car. Sean got into the car aswell.

"What now?" Sean asked. "I don't know son…we're stuck in New York." Micheal sighed.

_2 Weeks Later_

_A/N; lots of shit went down between the eighteenth of July and the first of August, lots of people died and lots more turned into mutants. Thanks for reading._

In a small supermarket in the outskirts of Twin Peaks, Rigby gripped his fire-axe and snuck up behind a mutant.

"_Remember to tread quietly…"_ Rigby thought to himself, as he used the fire-axe to decapitate the mutant.

"Nice." He said to himself.

"Good one, dude." Mordecai said, sneaking up behind his friend.

"Nice to see you, where were you?" Rigby asked.

"I went to get the painkillers, like you asked." Mordecai replied.

"Oh, sorry love." Rigby apologized.

"It's fine, dear. Now, did you manage to collect anything?" Mordecai asked.

"I managed to grab a few cans of beans, but since the looters came through, there isn't much left..." Rigby said, handing over the cans.

"Damn it, Twin Peaks is empty." Mordecai sighed.

"Sorry man." Rigby apologized.

"It's fine, let's just go back to our camp." Mordecai pat his friend on the back.

Meanwhile in the state of New York, Micheal, Carly and Sean were taking refuge in their car.

"We're trapped." Carly commented.

"The military are dead…New York is gone…there are walls…everywhere…we're trapped…" Carly continued.

"That's it, we're getting out of this shithole." Micheal growled.

"Dear, we can't. We're trapped." Carly said.

"Damn it!" Micheal cursed.

"Don't worry dad, we're gonna be fine." Sean smiled at his father.

"What would I do without you son…" Micheal turned around and smiled at his son.

"I can't let you guys live this life anymore! It's time we get the hell out of New York!" Micheal exclaimed.

"How? The military have set up blockades everywhere." Carly asked.

"Weren't they overthrown by the undead?" Micheal looked at his wife.

"Oh, shit. Good point." Carly chuckled.

"Let's go." Micheal turned on his car.

"I can't believe this piece of turd still works." Micheal chuckled and put the car in drive. Micheal drove the car towards the border and looked at the wall.

"We can drive through it, can't we?" Micheal asked. "Of course, its wood, dumbass." Sean commented.

"Sean!" Carly scolded. Micheal chuckled.

"Yep, he's our son alright...!" Micheal put the car into first gear and drove through the wooden barricade and down the road, having just entered Pennsylvania.

"Are we going to find your friends, daddy?" Sean asked.

"Yes son, yes we are." Micheal answered.

At the same time, Felix, Chris and his wife were eating alone in their house.

"We've been in here for god-knows how long, when can we leave?" Chris asked.

"When this clears up." Felix answered.

"Honey, the military has fallen, we're going to need to survive on our own." Taylor explained.

"Shit, your right." Felix sighed.

"Come on, let's grab our bags and get in our car. We can't stay in this town. I heard that there's a safe haven in California." Taylor answered.

"How did you know that?" Felix asked.

"Before the lines were cut, I had a friend that called me, telling me about the haven." Taylor replied.

"And you didn't think that was important enough to tell us earlier." Felix narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry honey." Taylor apologized.

"Let's just pack and go." Felix sighed and walked upstairs with his wife.

Meanwhile, Mordecai and Rigby were sitting in the destroyed living room of the park house.

"I'm so booooored." Rigby groaned.

"Yeah, I know man." Mordecai sighed.

"I miss the adventures we used to have. The times where we fought…the times we caused problems and then solved them…now it's just…well…shit." Rigby sighed.

"I miss everything." Mordecai sighed, aswell.

"I still can't believe Skips and HFG abandoned us." Mordecai growled.

"Yeah, assholes…they don't know what they're missing." Rigby sighed.

"Least we still have our bed." Mordecai said.

"Speakin' of bed, I'm gonna get some sleep." Rigby said, standing up.

"Can I come?" Mordecai asked.

"Sure, dear." Rigby said, walking up the stairs with his friend. Rigby opened the door to their room and let his friend in.

"Help me barricade the door again." Rigby said. Mordecai nodded and grabbed a dresser with Rigby and sat it against the door. Rigby took off his backpack and put it beside Mordecai's backpack at the end of the bed and jumped into bed.

Mordecai got into the bed and slipped under the covers with his friend.

"I miss this." Mordecai said.

"What?" Rigby asked.

"The fresh and passionate mood." Mordecai answered.

"Oh…well, you can't miss something that has been here the whole time." Rigby chuckled.

"You really need to stop reading those sappy romance novels." Mordecai chuckled and held his friend against his chest.

"Your feathers are like cotton." Rigby commented, softly.

"Romance novels!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"Sorry." Rigby chuckled.

"I love you." Mordecai looked down at his friend.

"I love you too." Rigby looked up at his friend and kissed him. Mordecai kissed him back and closed his eyes.

"Your safe with me, don't forget that." Mordecai said.

"I know man. I know." Rigby hugged his friend and closed his eyes. They fell asleep in each other's arms shortly after.

At the same time, Micheal and his family were not too far from Twin Peaks.

"Dear, are you sure they're still at Twin peaks?" Carly asked.

"I'm sure, honey." Micheal answered.

"Okay, we trust you." Carly said. Micheal continued to drive further into the outskirts of a ruined Twin Peaks.

"Dad, what happened to everything?" Sean asked.

"Just don't worry about it." Micheal replied.

"Okay, dad." Sean sighed, disappointed.

A few minutes later, Micheal was back in his friend's home town; Twin Peaks.

"I thought there would be lots of zombies or mutants or whatever." Carly commented.

"Carly!" Micheal whispered, scolding his wife.

"Sorry." Carly apologized. Micheal drove through the empty streets of Twin Peaks. Himself and his family looked through the windows and noticed tipped over cars, destroyed buildings, as if a riot just took place.

"Daddy, I'm scared." Sean commented.

"Don't worry Sean, we'll be fine…" Micheal said.

Suddenly, another car was coming from the left and smashed into Micheal's car.

"What the fuck!?" Micheal exclaimed. The crash wasn't severe, but it destroyed their car.

"Stay here." Micheal said, getting out of the car.

"What the hell buddy? Watch where you're going!" Micheal shouted at the driver of the car. The driver of the car got out. Micheal was stunned. It was Felix.

"Oh my god…Felix? You're alive!" Micheal laughed in joy and ran over to his friend.

"Micheal! Christ, it's so good to see you!" Felix hugged his friend back.

"Felix? Who's that?" Taylor asked.

"This is a close friend of mine, Micheal. Micheal, meet my wife, Taylor." Felix said.

"Nice to meet you." Taylor shook Micheal's hand.

"Sean, Carly come on out!" Micheal exclaimed. Carly and Sean got out of the car and walked over to Micheal.

"This is my wife; Carly and my son; Sean." Micheal introduced his family.

"Nice to meet you." Taylor shook Carly's hand and hugged Sean.

"How old is Sean?" Felix asked.

"He's turning four in October." Micheal looked at Felix's car, noticing Chris in the back seat.

"Felix, you have a son? What's his name?" Micheal asked.

"His name's Chris, he's the same age as Sean." Felix answered. Sean waved at Chris and Chris waved back.

A few minutes of silence suddenly came in.

"What're you doing back here?" Felix asked.

"We've come to see Mordecai and Rigby, to see if they're still alive." Micheal answered.

"Oh fuck! I forgot about them!" Felix exclaimed.

"You didn't remember? Goddamn!" Micheal exclaimed.

"And why is this town empty of people and mutants?" Carly asked.

"Christ Carly." Micheal sighed.

"All the people cleared out of here, only a few of us were left. And…we don't know about the creatures." Taylor answered.

"Let's go find Mordecai and Rigby." Felix said.

"Our car's fucked." Micheal said.

"Oh. Um…well, our car's a SUV, why don't you jump in?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah, go ahead." Felix said, getting into his SUV. Carly shrugged.

"Let's go." Sean said, getting into the car with Carly and Micheal. They squished beside Chris in the back seat.

"Hi." Chris greeted Sean.

"Hey." Sean replied.

Felix turned the SUV on the put the car in drive.

"Let's move." Taylor said. The SUV drove through the streets of Twin Peaks, past the coffee shop, the game store, the school and they finally reached the park.

"The wall of the park's destroyed. We could just drive in." Taylor pointed to it. Felix nodded and drove onto the grass of the park.

A short time later they arrived at the park house.

"There it is. You think they're still in there?" Micheal asked.

"Probably." Taylor shrugged. They all got out of the SUV and walked up to the front door of the house.

"It's been barricaded." Felix said, trying to open the door.

"Can we go through the window?" Micheal asked.

"It's been boarded up." Chris said, looking at the window.

"Damn it." Micheal cursed.

"Can't we just knock?" Sean asked.

"Suuuuuuree, they'll be there…let's just knooooock." Chris mocked Sean.

"Hey! Shut up Chris!" Sean confronted Chris.

"No! You!" Chris got in Sean's face.

"Hey guys, calm down. Let's just knock." Taylor separated them.

"Fine." Chris rolled his eyes. Felix knocked on the door.

"Hello?" He called. Felix waited a few seconds and continued to knock.

"Hello?" He called. Suddenly, Sean and Chris looked frightened.

"What's wrong kids?" Taylor asked, turning around.

She screamed. A horde of mutants were approaching.

"I thought you said they all cleared out!" Micheal shouted.

"We thought they did!" Felix exclaimed. Suddenly, all of them started knocking on the door frantically.

"Help! Help! Open the fucking door!" Felix shouted, his voice cracking.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the park house, Mordecai and Rigby were sleeping together in their bed. Rigby opened his eyes slowly, he was disrupted by some banging.

"Mordecai…Mordecai…" Rigby tried to wake his friend up.

"Urgh…later…Rigby…" Mordecai ignored him. Rigby rolled his eyes and pushed his friend off the bed.

"Ah! What was that for?" Mordecai asked.

"I just heard…um…dude, you're…" Rigby cleared his throat. "Balls…are showing." Rigby snickered.

"Oh! Sorry." Mordecai covered himself up with his fur.

"No problem. Anyway, do you hear that?" Rigby asked.

"Hear what?" Mordecai asked.

"Just shut up and listen." Rigby commanded.

Mordecai and Rigby stood there for a second. "I hear banging." Rigby said.

"Probably the mutants at the door again, let's go make sure they don't destroy the door again." Mordecai said, grabbing his hammer from his backpack and walked out. Rigby grabbed his fire-axe and followed his friend downstairs.

"I'm scared." Rigby said, following his friend.

"It's okay, I'll keep you safe." Mordecai protected him.

They made it to the end of the stairs and walked over to the door. "…Let us in! Come on…" Mordecai and Rigby heard voices.

"Dude! There's people outside!" Rigby shouted.

"Move the couch!" Mordecai shouted. Rigby and Mordecai grabbed the couch, barricading the door and threw it away. Suddenly, Felix burst in, with Taylor, Micheal, Sean, Carly and Chris following them inside. Mordecai and Rigby ignored the fact that they'd just barged in and grabbed the couch again and quickly re-barricaded the door.

"Now…who…are you?" Mordecai asked, helping Rigby up.

"Mordecai…? Rigby? Jesus Christ! It's so good to see you!" Micheal exclaimed, hugging them.

"Micheal? How did you…?" Before Rigby got to answer, Felix hugged them. Felix and Micheal backed off and stood with their families. Rigby and Mordecai gasped.

"Micheal…you got a family…" Rigby commented.

"Yes…this is Carly; my wife, and my son; Sean." Micheal introduced his family.

"And…we know your family." Mordecai smiled.

"Yeah…" Felix looked at his son and wife proudly.

"What do we do now?" Micheal asked.

"Well, we're running out of food and we don't see the point in staying here…we're thinking of leaving Twin Peaks, once and for all." Mordecai answered.

"Wow, we were gonna leave too." Felix said.

"Where could we go?" Micheal asked.

"Well, there's word of a safe place in California." Felix said.

"We could go there…but that's far away." Rigby shrugged.

"We're not going anywhere until morning, or until those mutants go away. It isn't safe." Mordecai said.

"That's fair." Sean shrugged.

"Mordecai and I have the bed upstairs, there's a few guest bedrooms upstairs." Rigby said, poking his friend's feathers.

"Okay…well, we'll find our beds and we'll see you guys in the morning." Felix said, walking upstairs with his wife and son.

"Night." Rigby said, watching them walk upstairs.

"Well, see you guys in the morning." Micheal walked upstairs with his wife and son.

"Let's head to bed." Mordecai walked upstairs with his friend.

They walked into their room and set their tools beside their backpacks and jumped into bed.

"I can't believe Micheal is back." Rigby said.

"I know, right?" Mordecai chuckled.

"Well…it's interesting that he has kids too…I never thought he'd have kids. I always thought he was gay." Rigby said.

"So did I." Mordecai turned to face his friend.

"Let's go to sleep now…" Rigby leant in and kissed his friend.

"Night bro." Rigby closed his eyes.

"Goodnight." Mordecai closed his eyes. Rigby smiled to himself and thought to himself, before falling asleep;

"_I guess we're not alone in this world."_

…**.**

**Thanks for reading! :D This chapter is one of the longest one's I've ever written, because I haven't written in a few days and I won't be writing for a few days. :D**

**Please PM me for any questions or any updates. Please 'Follow' this story to get messages each time this story gets update and favourite this story if you're awesome!**

**I'm also considering a partnership with AeroAlpha! :D**

**UPDATE: This chapter has been re-done, no more spacing errors! :D**

**R.S.M.**


	3. Episode Three: A Long Road Ahead

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Chapter Three: A Long Road Ahead**

**5****th**** of August, 2023, Evening**

**Day 20, 4 Days after 'Bad Circumstances'**

After crossing the border into West Virginia, the SUV, belonging to our protagonists stopped at a 7/11 gas station.

"Everyone stay in the car, I'll fill up." Micheal said, getting out.

"Should we check the gas station for supplies?" Rigby asked.

"Sounds like a plan." Felix nodded. Felix got out of the SUV. Rigby, who was lying beside Mordecai in the trunk, opened the trunk and walked over to the 7/11.

"What time is it?" Taylor asked, turning to Carly.

"5:43PM." Carly looked at her wristwatch. Chris yawned.

"I'm exhausted." Chris looked at his mom.

"I know honey." Taylor rubbed her son's hair.

"Is Uncle Mordecai still asleep?" Sean asked, looking over the back seat. Mordecai was sleep on a bedroll in the trunk of the SUV.

"Looks like it, hon." Carly looked at Mordecai.

"Can't blame him, we're all exhausted." Taylor shook her head.

Meanwhile, Micheal was filling up the car, "Why don't you check the gas station for any jerry cans, would ya? Would be useful for the road." Micheal asked.

"We will." Rigby said, walking over to the building, with Felix following him close behind.

"I'll check the gas station, you go ahead and check that restaurant out." Rigby ordered.

"Sure." Felix walked over to it. Rigby pushed open the glass doors of the 7/11 and looked around. Rigby gasped, there were zombies in the aisles of the 7/11.

"Damn…left my weapon in the car…" Rigby muttered. Rigby looked back at the car.

"Is it really worth going back?" Rigby asked himself.

"Nah." Rigby shrugged. Rigby scanned the counter's surroundings looking for some sort of weapon.

"Ah! A fire extinguisher." Rigby crouched and snuck over to the extinguisher and noticed it was in a glass case. Rigby held his shoulder and smashed open the glass cabinet and removed the extinguisher, only for it to hit the ground, alerting the zombies of his presence.

Rigby wiped off some glass from his shoulder and looked over at the aisles, the mutants and zombies were approaching.

"_Now…use the extinguisher or smash the zombie's heads in with it?"_ Rigby thought. Rigby just shrugged. Rigby struggled to pick up the extinguisher off the ground.

"Oh shit! No!" Rigby cursed.

"Come on weak body…" Rigby muttered. There was no way he could pick it up.

"Damn it." Rigby cursed. Rigby backed into the wall. The zombies and mutants approaching at a slow rate.

"This is a 7/11, there's gotta be a weapon in here." Rigby said to himself, standing back up. Rigby pushed his way through the zombies and ran into one of the aisles.

Rigby scanned the aisle, suddenly he found a frying pan. "Urgh…do I really want to stoop that low?" Rigby asked himself. Rigby looked over at the zombies.

"Damn it." Rigby grabbed the frying pan and struck the first zombie in the face, knocking it into the zombie behind him. Rigby based the first zombie's brain in the frying pan, killing it instantly. There were still four more zombies he had to deal with, though since he'd taken care of the first one so easily, Rigby gained more confidence.

The second zombie approached, Rigby kicked the zombie in the leg, tripping it over and based its brains in.

"Three more." Rigby muttered. Rigby kicked the third zombie in the leg, knocking it into the aisle, knocking over one of the shelves. The shelf collapsed onto the zombie's head, killing it instantly.

"Now the other two." Rigby looked up at the other two zombies, who were approaching at a faster rate than they should.

Meanwhile, next door, Felix was looting the kitchen.

"All that's in here is raw meat and bread." Felix sighed, opening a cupboard.

"Ew, a rat, what kind of place was this?" Felix complained, looking inside the cupboard.

"It's a 7/11, dad, what do you expect?" Chris came up behind his father.

"Ah!" Felix exclaimed, hitting his head on a light above him.

"Shit…that hurt…Chris? What the hell are you doing in here?" Felix asked, looking down at his son.

"I came to help." Chris answered.

"You can't be in here, what if there's any of those…things in here?" Felix said.

"Dad, didn't you read the sign on the door? This place was shut down by the health department." Chris chuckled.

"Oh Chris, you're too smart for your own good." Felix pat his son's back.

"Well…if you want to help, help me get these boxes of bread to the car." Felix handed over some bread to his son.

"But dad, if there was rats in here…shouldn't that be a good reason not to take this?" Chris asked.

"Just take it to the fucking car." Felix raised his voice. Chris sighed and walked out of the restaurant with the box. He walked over to the car and sat the box of bread in the trunk, beside Mordecai, accidentely knocking him in the head.

"Urgh…" Mordecai opened his eyes.

"Oh! Sorry Mr Mordecai Sir…" Chris apologized.

"It's fine kid…" Mordecai yawned. Chris walked back over to the back door of the car and got in.

Mordecai sat up, almost hitting his head on the roof.

"Where's Rigby?" Mordecai asked, noticing that his friend wasn't beside him.

"He's in the 7/11 grabbing supplies, Mr Mordecai." Chris answered.

"Oh. Does he need help in there?" Mordecai asked, glancing at the gas station.

"I don't think he does." Chris answered.

"Oh…alright then." Mordecai breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his lover was safe.

On the contrary, in the 7/11, Rigby was struggling to take out the final two zombies.

"Okay…" Rigby held the frying pan tightly in his hands. One of the zombies approached him and knocked him over, knocking the frying pan out of his hands and out of his reach.

"Ahhh! Urgh!" Rigby exclaimed, trying to push the zombie off of him. Fortunately for him, he managed to push the zombie off of him and quickly grabbed the frying pan and stabbed the zombie in the head with the handle of the frying pan, killing it instantly, then he dropped the frying pan and unsheathed his claws.

He glanced at the final zombie, the raccoon mustered up his courage and lunged at the zombie, clawing it to death. The raccoon jumped off the zombie and backed off a little, watching the zombie plop down onto the ground.

"Nice." Rigby looked at his claws proudly.

"Now…to…get some help…to bring some stuff out to the car…" Rigby said to himself, wiping some sweat and blood off of his forehead.

A few seconds later, Rigby walked out of the gas station and out to the car.

"Rigby!" Mordecai exclaimed, getting out of the truck and walking over to his friend.

"There's blood all over you!" Felix exclaimed, who'd obviously finished looting the restaurant.

"Come…with me…" Rigby panted.

"Dad, when are we gonna leave?" Sean asked.

"Don't worry son, we'll be out of here soon." Micheal answered, getting back into the SUV.

An hour later, the eight friends were back on the road and Micheal was exhausted. Micheal was falling asleep at the wheel.

"Micheal?" Carly tried to keep him awake.

"Micheal!" She repeated.

"Ah, what?" Micheal glanced at his wife.

"Your exhausted honey…why not let me drive?" Carly asked.

"No…I'm fine…" Micheal argued.

"Micheal…you're tired…" Carly tried to convince her husband.

"No! I'm not!" Micheal shouted. Micheal closed his eyes.

"Micheal!" Carly shouted.

"Ah! What!?" Micheal exclaimed.

"Stop the car, Micheal. You're not driving." Carly ordered.

"Fine." Micheal sighed, and pulled over. "I'll drive." Rigby said, getting out of the trunk.

"You sure? I could drive." Carly said, watching her husband get out of the SUV.

"I'm fine." Rigby said, getting into the driver's seat.

"Alright, where are we going anyway, Micheal?" Rigby asked.

"I dunno." Micheal shrugged.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted.

"Um…I thought it wasn't important…" Micheal got into the back seat.

"Are you serious!? This whole time we've been going to somewhere we don't even…know…I'm confused." Taylor said.

"Where are we anyway?" Mordecai asked.

"West Virginia." Sean replied.

"How did you know that?" Micheal asked.

"We drove past a sign forty minutes ago." Sean answered.

"Oh." Micheal drooped his head.

"How about we set a destination?" Rigby asked.

"Good idea." Mordecai agreed.

"Okay…where?" Rigby turned to the back seat.

"Is there any place that hasn't been overrun?" Taylor asked.

"Um…some place in California…but that's thousands of miles away…and it's night time." Mordecai made an observation.

"Um…well…do we have a map or something?" Rigby asked.

"Um…not really." Mordecai answered.

"Damn." Rigby sighed.

"Let's just drive for a while and see if we can find anything." Micheal suggested.

"Alright." Rigby said, restarting the car and getting back on the road.

_4 Hours Later, 9:34PM_

"Urgh…there's…got to be something somewhere…there should be like…um…what're they called?" Rigby asked.

"They've got them in Australia…um…Stop, Revise, Thrive?" Mordecai tried to answer.

"Stop, _Revive, _Survive." Sean corrected.

"Thanks Sean." Mordecai rolled his eyes.

"Wait, what's that?" Chris pointed.

They were getting closer to a motel.

"It's a motel!" Chris exclaimed.

"Let's rest there…I'm exhausted…" Rigby said, driving off the road and into the parking lot of the motel.

"Should we check the rooms?" Mordecai asked.

"I'm too exhausted to care." Rigby got out of the car.

"Okay…well…I'll crash with my wife and Sean." Micheal said, looking at his family.

"Same here." Felix said, getting out of the car with _his_ family.

"We'll crash together." Mordecai looked at his exhausted friend.

"Alright, pick your rooms." Rigby said, looking at the motel.

"Wait, how long are we staying here?" Felix asked, stopping, while his family was walking up the stairs to their room.

"Dunno, let's just see how this turns out." Rigby answered.

"Alright, Night." Felix walked up the stairs with his family.

"See you tomorrow, Micheal." Mordecai watched Micheal and his family go upstairs.

"I didn't even get a thank you." Rigby sighed.

"Don't take it too hard." Mordecai pat his friend on the back.

"Let's go." Rigby locked the car and walked upstairs with his mate. A few seconds later, Rigby opened the door to their room, while Mordecai followed him inside.

"It's um…old." Rigby commented on the state of the room.

"Well…it _is_ a two-star." Mordecai shrugged.

"Oh, I didn't notice." Rigby said, walking into the bathroom.

"There's not even a shower in here." Rigby said.

"Damn, that sucks man. God…what I'd do for a shower." Mordecai jumped on the double bed.

"Not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be." Mordecai muttered.

"At least the sink works!" Rigby exclaimed, from the bathroom.

"That's good. Wait, is it good water or bad water?" Mordecai asked.

"Well…it doesn't taste good, but at least we can wash our hands." Rigby answered.

"We should've got that vending machine to work, at the 7/11." Mordecai said.

"We probably should've, but it was locked anyway." Rigby said, turning on the faucet on the sink.

"Think there's any drinks at the reception?" Rigby asked, washing his face.

"Probably, but I'm not goin' down to check, I'm too tired." Mordecai yawned.

"I hear ya." Rigby walked back into the main room and slipped under the covers on their bed.

"Thanks for driving us here. Must've been tiring." Mordecai thanked him.

"No problem, at least now we can rest." Rigby closed his eyes and turned away from his mate.

"Well…thanks for getting that stuff for us from that gas station." Mordecai turned away, aswell.

"No problem, anything for the group." Rigby yawned, falling asleep.

"Such a selfless bastard." Mordecai grinned, falling asleep shortly after.

_Several Hours Later, 1:41AM_

A few miles away, a red hatchback was driving along the highway, near the motel.

"We're so lost…" One of them said.

"Eileen, I thought you knew how to read a map?" The driver of the car asked.

"Come on Margaret, cut her some slack, she's exhausted." One of the passengers scolded.

"We're all exhausted." The driver; 'Margaret' commented.

"Ugh…Kane, do you see any signs that will tell us where we are?" 'Eileen' asked.

"Um…no…but I see a motel." Kane pointed, to the side of the road.

"Oh! I see it on the map…it's the Black Lodge Motor Inn." Eileen read.

"Should we pull over?" Kane asked.

"Yeah…I'm tired." Margaret yawned. The red hatchback pulled into the parking lot of the motel.

"There's another car here." Margaret noted.

"Are there people here?" Eileen asked.

"It looks that way." Kane said, watching Margaret and Eileen get out of the car. Shane crawled into the front seat and out the front passenger door. Margaret walked over to the car.

"It's an SUV." She said.

"No shit." Kane walked over with Eileen.

"Has it been used recently?" Kane asked.

"Can't tell. Looks brand new but it could've been there for a while." Eileen shrugged.

"Let's just sleep here for the night, then we'll get out of here in the morning." Margaret yawned and walked upstairs. Eileen rolled her eyes.

"Hey Eileen, let's go upstairs." Kane rubbed Eileen's hand.

"Oh…okay." Eileen blushed and walked upstairs with Kane.

Margaret yawned and opened a door and walked into a random room. She looked at the bed and gasped, she noticed two people in there.

"Are they dead?" Margaret asked herself. She walked over to the bed and noticed who it was.

"Mordecai? Rigby?" She gasped.

"Urgh…what was…woah!" Rigby exclaimed, noticing Margaret.

"Margaret…?" Rigby got out of the bed.

"You…you two are alive?" Margaret asked, shocked.

"You…how are…what?" Rigby stuttered.

"Uh…Rigby…?" Mordecai yawned, waking up.

"Who's that?" Mordecai asked, half asleep.

"Dude! It's Margaret!" Rigby exclaimed.

"Mmhmm…" Mordecai fell back asleep.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rigby asked, starting to get annoyed.

"I…I didn't know you guys were here…we were just getting out of Twin Peaks." Margaret answered.

"And we/you didn't know where we/you were going." Margaret and Rigby said at the same time.

"Well…it's…good to see you, I guess." Margaret muttered. "Yeah." Rigby sighed.

"I see you and Mordecai are together." Margaret glanced over at the blue jay, who was in deep sleep.

"Yeah." Rigby said, beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"What's that?" Margaret asked, pointing to Rigby's paw.

"It's a ring." Rigby glanced at his paw.

"Where did you get it?" Margaret questioned.

"Mordecai gave it to me, before the wedding." Rigby said.

"Oh." Margaret gasped, taken aback by this answer.

"Margaret…forgive me for not wanting to see you, but I don't exactly care for you." Rigby said, glaring at Margaret.

Margaret crossed her arms.

"Did you come alone?" Rigby asked, glancing at the door.

"No, I came with a couple of friends." Margaret answered.

"Oh…who?" Rigby asked, curious.

"Eileen and her boyfriend." Margaret grinned, confidently.

"Eileen? She's alive? Where is she?" Rigby asked.

"Dunno, in one of these rooms." Margaret answered.

"How about you? Did you and Mordecai come alone?" She asked.

"No we came with some old friends." Rigby answered.

"Oh…" Margaret sighed.

"Well…I'm going back to sleep…you should probably leave the room now." Rigby said, pointing to the door.

"Okay, bye." She walked out, angered by the encounter. Rigby rolled her eyes and crawled under the covers, beside his friend and fell asleep.

_The Next Morning, 7:51AM_

"Hey, get up." Kane was standing beside Rigby and Mordecai's bed.

"Urgh…who are you?" Rigby yawned.

"Get up." Kane said. "No…just a bit longer." Rigby closed his eyes again.

"Get the hell up!" Kane put a gun to Rigby's head.

"Woah!" Rigby exclaimed. Rigby turned to where his friend was sleeping, he wasn't there.

"Okay…I'm getting up." Rigby got off of his bed, cautiously.

"Who are you?" Rigby asked, standing up.

"Just keep moving." Kane pushed the pistol against his back. Rigby sighed and walked out of the motel room.

Rigby looked over the balcony and noticed that they had almost everyone that was in the motel lined up in the parking lot, including the kids. But Rigby noticed something; two people were missing.

"_Where's Mordecai and Sean?"_ Rigby thought.

"Keep moving." Kane pushed the pistol up against Rigby's back. Rigby sighed and walked down the stairs of the motel and down into the parking lot.

Four men were holding everyone hostage, at gunpoint. All of the people who were at the motel were tied up and in a line, with people holding guns to their heads. Rigby was thrown onto the ground in-between Eileen and Felix.

"Who are these guys?" Rigby asked.

"I don't know." Felix glanced at the raccoon.

"Now, where's the rest of your group?" Kane asked, holding Felix at gunpoint.

"I don't know…" Felix looked down at the ground.

"Okay…how about you, dog?" Kane pointed the pistol to Micheal's head.

"I don't know! Only Rigby knows!" Micheal ratted Rigby out.

"What the fuck man!?" Rigby exclaimed.

Kane chuckled and walked back over to Rigby.

"Well, looks like your friend just called you out. Now where's the rest of your group?" Kane held the gun to Rigby's head.

Meanwhile, Mordecai and Sean were hiding in one of the motel rooms.

"Where's dad?" Sean asked.

"Don't worry, kid. He's fine." Mordecai comforted the wolf.

"I'm scared." Sean whimpered.

"Same here." Mordecai sighed.

"Stay here kid." Mordecai ordered. Mordecai snuck over to one of the motel windows, facing the parking lot and pulled away one of the curtains slightly.

Mordecai watched the events unfolding outside, wondering what he could do to help. Suddenly, he noticed a car coming down the road.

At the same time, outside Kane was continuing to threaten to kill Rigby, until suddenly they heard a car approach.

"Will, what do we do?" Kane asked.

"We stop them and rob them." 'Will' answered. The car continued to approach. Rigby noticed the four men were stupidly turned away so they couldn't control the hostages.

"What do we do?" Felix asked.

"We take them down." Rigby answered, trying to untie himself.

"Okay…we'll help." Micheal whispered.

"I'll take the guy with the pistol." Rigby glanced at Kane.

"You guys take the other three." Rigby ordered.

"Okay…let me just get these bindings off…" Felix groaned.

"Felix, why don't you just use your…um power thing?" Rigby asked.

"After not using it for some time, it deteriorated." Felix explained.

"Damn." Rigby cursed.

"Okay, I got the bindings off." Micheal whispered.

"Untie us." Felix said. Micheal nodded and untied Rigby, and Felix.

"Okay, let's stop the car." Will said, glancing at the car that was approaching. Rigby suddenly pounced on Kane and took his pistol.

"What the!?" Will exclaimed. Micheal pounced on two of the men and pushed one of them in front of the oncoming car. The car suddenly ran over the man, killing him instantly. Rigby watched the car disappear down the road.

"Wow, didn't even stop." Rigby commented. Felix tackled the final one and held him down.

"We got them." Felix said, holding the man still.

Mordecai and Sean ran out of the motel room and down the stairs.

"Mordecai! You're okay!" Rigby exclaimed. Suddenly, the man Felix had tackled pushed Felix off and grabbed Rigby's pistol and shot Felix in the back.

"Oh, crap!" Micheal exclaimed, taking the pistol off of the man and shooting him in the face.

"Phew, close one, eh Felix?" Micheal looked at Felix. Suddenly, there was silence.

"Felix?" Mordecai gasped. Felix gripped his chest, blood was spurting out of a new wound in his chest.

"No…" Taylor gasped.

"Dad!" Chris screamed. Felix fell to his knees and collapsed.

"NO!" Rigby grabbed the pistol off of Micheal and shot the remaining three men, to make sure they didn't hurt anyone else.

"Dad…?" Chris looked at his father. Mordecai walked over to the hostages and untied Taylor and Chris. While Micheal and Rigby were knelt beside Felix's body, which was still moving.

"Urgh…my chest…" Felix groaned.

"Don't worry, Felix…you'll be alright." Micheal said, softly. Chris and Taylor ran over to Felix, who was still bleeding.

"Honey?" Taylor knelt beside Felix.

"Dad?" Chris stood in front of Felix.

Suddenly, everything went silent. "Dad…?" Chris noticed his father wasn't responding.

"Oh Jesus." Rigby gasped.

"Dad?!" Chris exclaimed.

"Dad!" Chris shook Felix's body.

"Dad!" He screamed.

"Chris…Chris…calm down…" Taylor attempted to calm him down. Margaret and Eileen walked over to the group, who were mourning.

"He's dead." Rigby said bluntly.

"He…" Mordecai sighed.

"Wait…if he's dead…" Mordecai backed off.

"Everyone! Back away!" Rigby shouted. Taylor tried to get her son away from her newly-deceased husband's body. Suddenly, Felix began to move.

"Daddy! You're alive!" Chris exclaimed, trying to get to his father. Everyone turned to Rigby and Mordecai who were glancing at Felix.

Felix had turned into one of the zombies.

"Put him down…" Rigby said, handing Mordecai the gun. Mordecai watched his friend walk over to everyone else who was watching Felix attempting to get up.

It was Mordecai's decision, kill his former friend, even though he wasn't alive anymore, or leave. Mordecai glanced at the crowd of people behind him, who were watching in horror, as Felix's body continued to approach the blue jay.

"Let's get out of here…" Mordecai lowered the gun.

"Mordecai…?" Rigby walked up to his friend.

"Let's get out of here." Mordecai repeated. Rigby nodded, he understood.

"To the cars, everyone." Rigby said. Micheal took his family over to the car and got into the back with them. Margaret and Eileen glanced at the two friends and walked back to their hatchback. A few seconds later, Margaret and Eileen drove away, knowing they might never see their friends again. Taylor; the now widowed mother, walked with her son to the car and got in. Mordecai watched Chris cry his eyes out in the car.

"Mordecai…we should probably go." Rigby said, glancing at Felix, who was still crawling towards them.

"Yeah…we should." Rigby grabbed his friend's wing and walked with him back to the car.

"I can't drive…Taylor said, glancing at the two friends.

"I'll drive." Rigby sighed, getting into the driver's seat, while Mordecai got into the front passenger seat, beside him.

"Mordecai." Rigby glanced at his friend.

"Yeah…Rigby?" Mordecai asked.

"What happens now?" Rigby looked worried.

"We…we try to survive, if we can…" Mordecai leant against the window. Chris looked out the window, and saw his father, who was still crawling towards the car.

"Bye dad." Chris wiped some tears away.

"Where are we going?" Carly asked, in a quiet tone.

"Away." Rigby answered, bluntly, turning on the car. There was silence, nothing else was said. Rigby backed out of the parking lot, stopped on the road for a second. He looked at Felix, wiped a tear away, and then drove away. Mordecai leant on Rigby's shoulder. In a way, Rigby knew why Mordecai didn't shoot Felix, it was too much of a burden, but Rigby wished that they could've prevented Felix's death.

Taylor is now a widow, and Chris hasn't got a father. Rigby knew they wouldn't last long, though he pushed those thoughts out of his head and remembered, Taylor is a strong woman and Chris is a smart kid. He smiled to himself, knowing these things and paid attention to the road ahead of him.

A _long_ road ahead.


	4. Episode Four: Problems With Wolves

**A Regular Outbreak**

**SEASON ONE: AMERICA'S DOWNFALL**

**A/N; the previous chapter name was a reference to an Episode of 'The Walking Dead', made by TellTale games. Also, some events in these chapters are inspired by the games itself. The forest they're in, is the forest beside the same Highway that is in 'The Walking Dead' Episode 3, you'll find out how important it is if you play it. **

**Episode Four: The Problem With Wolves**

**9th of March, 2024, Evening**

**Day 235, 7 Months after a Long Road Ahead**

On a snowy evening, somewhere in the depths of the forests of Georgia, Five friends sat around a small campfire, which had a rabbit tied above it. Mordecai and Rigby were sitting close together, with a blanket covering their backs, while Micheal and his family were all huddled up together opposite Mordecai and Rigby. "Dad…I'm cold." Sean grumbled, snuggling into his mother's chest. "Sorry son…this is the best we can do." Micheal sighed.

"How do you think Taylor and Chris are going?" Carly asked. "I'm sure they're fine. Before Taylor took the SUV, she said she was taking her son to California. To the 'safe place'." Micheal answered. "It's been…god knows how long. Do you think they made it?" Mordecai asked, glancing at the wolves. "I'm sure they did. They're strong people." Rigby reassured his friend. "How's the rabbit cooking?" Carly asked. "It should be almost ready." Rigby said, standing up. "We should probably put some more sticks on the fire. It looks like it's gonna go out." Micheal recommended. Rigby nodded and grabbed a pile of sticks and threw them on the fireplace.

"Daddy?" Sean glanced up at his father, shivering. "Yeah, son?" Micheal looked down at his son, with a worried expression on his face. "Are we going to California too?" Sean asked. "Hopefully." Carly pet her son's head softly. Suddenly, rain began to fall. "Oh dude! The fire!" Mordecai exclaimed, glancing at the campfire, which started to be doused by the rain. "Okay, stay here, I'll go back to the car to grab my backpack." Rigby said, running off into the woods.

A few minutes, Rigby returned with a worn school-backpack and sat it beside the campfire, which had just been doused by the rain. "Got a lighter?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah, I got one." Rigby said, pulling a lighter out of his backpack. He grabbed a piece of paper and flicked the lighter. He set the paper on fire and threw it onto the campfire. "It won't stay lit for long." Micheal shook his head. "It'll do for now." Rigby sighed.

"Think the rabbit's cooked now?" Micheal asked, softly. "Well, it will take longer to cook during the rain…but it might be finished in about…half an hour?" Rigby studied the rabbit. "That's too long for a meal that'll only feed a few of us…" Carly shook her head in disappointment. "I know. It's all I could find." Mordecai sighed. "We know you're trying to provide for us. We appreciate the help at least." Carly glanced at her husband. Micheal suddenly felt uneasy. "I'm gonna hit the hay…" Micheal yawned. "We really don't have any." Sean glanced up at his father. Micheal just rolled his eyes and pet Sean on the head, before laying down on the grass and closing his eyes.

"We need to get to California." Mordecai spoke up. "We know." Rigby closed his backpack. "You think that's a good idea?" Carly asked, a little sceptical of Mordecai's statement. "What do you mean?" Mordecai asked, confused by the question. "Well…what _is_ in California that isn't the same as here?" Carly questioned. "It's supposed to be safe, closed off by the military." Rigby answered. "How do we know that though? It could be just a lie." Carly shrugged. "That's stupid, Carly." Mordecai crossed his arms. "Maybe, but think logically." Carly smirked. Rigby growled. "I'm going to bed." Rigby said, sitting beside Mordecai and resting his head on Mordecai's chest. Carly just sighed and glanced at her son, who'd fallen asleep. Carly kissed her son on the forehead and carefully rested him beside Micheal. Carly laid down beside them, facing away from Mordecai and Rigby.

A few minutes later, Carly drifted off to sleep. Only Rigby and Mordecai were the ones that were still awake. "Mordecai." Rigby said. No answer. "Mordecai." Rigby called his name again. "Urgh…eh? Rigby?" Mordecai yawned, then opened his eyes. "Do you ever miss home?" Rigby asked, softly. "Of course I do…anyone sane would, the trips to the arcade, barbeques with friends and hanging out with mates at the bar. That's what we live for." Mordecai explained. "Without those things, what's the point in living?" Mordecai glanced down at his friend, who'd fallen asleep after making that statement.

Mordecai held his friend tight, holding him close to his chest. "Night man." Mordecai said, quietly. Mordecai's eyes gradually closed and he eventually fell asleep.

The next day, the five friends were back on the road to California. "Mordecai?" Rigby turned to his friend, who was focusing on driving. "Yeah?" Mordecai answered. "Whatever happened to Benson?" Rigby asked. "Wow! I completely forgot about him. I don't even know if he's alive." Mordecai chuckled slightly. "You think he made it to California like Skips and HFG planned on doing?" Rigby questioned. "Not sure. Your guess is as good as mine." Mordecai shrugged.

"I feel like we're lost." Carly muttered. "So do I." Micheal said, softly. "Mordecai...you think we _should_ go to California? We could get down there and find out there was no military camp." Rigby explained. "Well then, we'll just leave and go somewhere else." Mordecai shrugged. "We could go south." Carly shrugged. "Going south is a death wish. Most of the population lives down there." Mordecai glanced back at Carly, before glancing back at the road. "Damn it." Carly muttered.

After crossing a railway crossing, the car continued to drive along the highway, heading north. Less than an hour later, Mordecai noticed a gas station and pulled the car over. "We should get some fuel." Mordecai said, stopping the car in front of one of the pumps. "I'll refuel." Rigby said, getting out of the car. Mordecai watched his friend get out of the car and glanced at the back seat. "Mordecai." Carly said, glancing back at the blue jay. Mordecai nodded, letting Carly know that he was listening to her. "You do realize that you're the only one here that thinks we should go to California." Carly stated. "I'm trying to make the right decision!" Mordecai shouted. "There's no point in yelling, I'm only trying to help." Carly backed off.

Rigby finished refuelling the car, and put it back on the hook. He walked around the front of the car to get back into the passenger seat. Suddenly, a bullet sped past him and skimmed across the pavement in front of him. Rigby took cover behind the car. "The hell?" Mordecai exclaimed. Suddenly, more bullets began to fly, shattering some of the car's windows and popping the car's two right tires. Micheal led his family out to the left side of the car, where they were safe. And Mordecai quickly jumped out of the car, and sat behind the cover with Micheal's family.

"Someone's taking pot-shots at us." Rigby stated. "No shit!" Mordecai exclaimed. "Are we going to die?" Sean asked, rather calmly. "No, I promise." Micheal glanced at his son. Rigby glanced at the fuel station, that's where the bullets were coming from. Rigby noticed another building that he could reach, if the shooter was distracted. Rigby opened the car door and grabbed an empty bottle of whiskey. "Where'd that come from?" Micheal asked, as Rigby shut the car door.

"I…found it during the last raid." Rigby sighed. "Thanks a lot Rigby, I could've really used a swig of that." Micheal rolled his eyes. Rigby just ignored Micheal and threw the bottle in the opposite direction where the shooter was aiming, distracting him. Rigby got on all fours and quickly sprinted to the next cover. "What the hell are you doing!?" Mordecai whispered loudly. "Saving our asses." Rigby whispered back, before running to the next cover. He glanced at the gas station. He could see a pair of hands leaning against the window, holding a pistol of some kind.

Rigby sprinted over to the gas station and silently opened the back door. Rigby slipped inside cautiously, trying not to be heard. Rigby noticed that he was standing in a kitchen. Rigby walked silently over to a counter, the power was out so he couldn't see the shooter very well, but he could see him.

Rigby quietly leaped over the counter and grabbed his pocket knife from his pocket. **A/N; How original. **He snuck up to the shooter, but suddenly stopped. He was having second thoughts. _"What if they're friendly?" _Rigby thought to himself. _"No, they're not. They shot at us."_ Rigby's conscience was fighting with itself. Rigby quickly lunged at the shooter, stabbing him in the back. "Ah! Jesus!" The man exclaimed. He dropped the gun and collapsed onto the floor. Rigby pulled out the pocket knife and grabbed the gun, which had fallen onto the floor.

"Please…help me…" The man groaned in pain. "You could've killed us." Rigby growled. "I was just scared…please don't leave me to die." The man groaned. Rigby shook his head and walked out of the gas station. "No! Come back!" The man screamed. "Rigby? What happened?" Mordecai asked, noticing Rigby was approaching the car. "It was just a gun wielding maniac." Rigby replied. "'Just?'" Carly stood up, slowly. Micheal and his son stood up aswell. "He put up a good fight…I had to take him down. Anyway, I found this." Rigby lied, holding up the gun he'd found.

"It's a Glock." Micheal glanced at the gun. "Since when did you know about guns?" Mordecai asked. "Since forever! I love guns!" Micheal exclaimed. Carly rolled her eyes. "There's some tires in the station. We can repair the car." Rigby said, changing the subject. "Let's go get them." Mordecai said, walking over to the gas station. Rigby sighed and followed him.

While Mordecai and Micheal were fixing the car, Carly and Sean were in the back talking to each other, while Rigby was looking at the gun he'd acquiring during the raid. "Wait…there's writing on this…" Rigby muttered, turning the Glock. There was a word on there, which was scribbled with a sharp object. It read; BARON. "Hmmm…" Rigby glanced at the Glock. "Alright, we're off." Micheal said, getting into the front. Mordecai got into the back with Carly and Sean.

"Well…that was quick." Rigby commented. "I know a thing or two about these things." Micheal replied, getting into the front seat. "Anyone need to use the restrooms before we leave?" Micheal asked, looking at the back seat. "I'm not pissing on a tree again, I'm gonna head to the restrooms." Carly answered. "Gross." Mordecai cleared his throat. "You need to use the toilet, Sean?" Carly turned to the kid. "Yeah…" Sean answered, shyly. "Come on then." Carly opened the back door and helped Sean out of the car.

"Where are the toilets?" Carly asked. "Right there." Micheal pointed to a restroom beside a sign. "Thanks." Carly thanked him. Micheal watched his wife and kid disappear behind the restrooms. "Okay Sean, you're old enough to go by yourself. I'll be right next door, okay?" Carly pointed to the ladies' restroom.

"Yes mom." Sean watched her mom enter the restroom. Sean glanced at the men's side, with a worried look on his face. He sighed and pushed the door open. He noticed a dead man lying on the floor, wearing a yellow shirt. The wolf closed his eyes ran into one of the stalls, paranoia flowing through him. "There's no one else in here…" Sean tried to keep himself calm. Sean sighed and locked the door behind him, just in case. A few seconds later Sean unlocked the stall and pulled his pants back up. Sean walked up to the sink. "All these germs…"

The wolf glanced at his hands, with a disgusted look on his face. Sean tried to reach the sink, but he could only reach the edge. He put his paws on the edge of the sink and pulled himself up. "So glad I'm wearing shoes." Sean commented, standing on the sink. The wolf glanced at the faucet. "Please have water." He sighed.

He turned the knob beside the faucet on, but no water came out. "Figures." Sean jumped down from the sink. Suddenly, he heard screaming coming from the women's toilets. Sean sprinted over to the door and pushed it open. The wolf ran into the ladies' toilets, looking for the source of the screaming. "Mom?" Sean called her name.

Sean gasped, his mother was being devoured by a zombie. "Mom!" Sean screamed. "MOM!" Sean screamed. Sean could hear some footsteps outside and some voices while he watched the event unfold in front of him. "…I heard screaming. Did it come from here?" One of the voices said. "It came from here." Micheal said, bursting into the ladies' toilets. "Sean! What's the matter?" Micheal asked.

Sean didn't take his eyes off of his mother. "Sean? What're you…Carly…? No!" Micheal shouted. "Oh man…" Mordecai sighed. Micheal ran over to Carly, who was still being devoured. The larger wolf frantically searched his pockets for his knife. After a few seconds, he eventually found it and plunged the knife deep into the zombie's head. The zombie ceased to move. "Mom?" Sean glanced over at his mother, who wasn't moving. "Come on Sean." Rigby walked in and led the kid outside.

"Everything…everything is going to shit!" Sean exclaimed. Rigby and Mordecai glanced at each other, with worried looks on their faces. "I'll take him back to the car, go check on Micheal." Rigby said, looking at the wolf. Mordecai nodded and walked back into the ladies' toilets. "Honey…? Wake up…" Micheal was on top of Carly's body, trying to wake his already deceased wife up.

Meanwhile, Rigby took Sean back to the car and sat with him in the back seat. "Mom's dead." Sean said, bluntly. "I'm sorry Sean. I don't know what I can do." Rigby sighed. "I understand. You couldn't do anything else." Sean sighed. "Thanks Sean." Rigby shook his head. "You're a strong kid, you know that?" Rigby complimented the kid. "Thanks Rigby, you aren't too bad yourself." Sean playfully punched the raccoon. "You know…it is okay to cry, you know?" Rigby explained. "I know. I'm distraught but…I just…can't cry. I don't know why…" Sean sighed. "Is there something wrong with me?" Sean glanced at the raccoon. "Of course not. Why do you ask that? Is it because you're not crying?" Rigby asked, confused.

"Yeah." Sean sighed. "People deal with death differently than others. Like…when Felix died, I was distraught, we were friends for years. I cried for him when he died. But when my brother died, I felt…guilt. As if I could've done something…more…" Rigby suddenly died down. Sean pat the raccoon on the back. "Sorry." He apologized.

Meanwhile, back in the restrooms, Mordecai was trying to convince Micheal to leave. "Micheal! We have to go…come on!" Mordecai shouted. "I should've never let you come here alone…" Micheal cried. "Micheal!" Mordecai shouted. "Why couldn't I just come with you…? This fucking world…how am I…" Micheal stuttered. "Come on!" Mordecai shouted. "I can't raise our child by myself...please…" Micheal cried.

Just then, Carly started to move. "Micheal! Come on!" Mordecai shouted. "Oh! You're alive…thank god…" Micheal hugged his wife. Suddenly, Carly sunk her teeth into Micheal's neck, causing Micheal to scream in pain. Mordecai watched Carly devour her husband and shook his head.

Mordecai shook his head and walked out of the restrooms. "They're both dead…what am I gonna tell Sean?" Mordecai glanced at the car. "There's nothing else I can say…I have to tell him." Mordecai sighed. He walked over to the car, slowly. Rigby looked out the window of the car and then looked at Sean. "Stay here." Rigby said, getting out of the car. Sean watched Rigby walk over to Mordecai, who was standing a few metres away.

"What happened? Where's Micheal?" Rigby asked. "He's dead." Mordecai bluntly said. "What? How?" Rigby asked, astonished and saddened by the answer. "Carly turned…he…he didn't see her coming." Mordecai sighed. Rigby just stared at the ground. "I'm sorry Rigby." Mordecai pat his friend on the back. "It's not that…it's that Sean has no family now." Rigby glanced back at the car. "What are we going to do?" Rigby looked up at his spouse. "I…I don't know." Mordecai sighed. "We have to tell him." Rigby said, walking back towards the car. "Okay…but…break it off slowly." Mordecai suggested. 

"Oh, so I have to tell him." Rigby put his paws on his hips. "No…you don't _have_ to." Mordecai rolled his eyes. "Shut up man." Rigby growled at his friend, before walking back to the car. "What was that for?" Mordecai asked, offended. Rigby just ignored him and walked back to the car. "Sean?" Rigby opened the back door of the car. "I know he's dead." Sean sighed. "Oh…um…" Rigby said, awkwardly. "It's okay…but…what am I gonna do?" Sean asked. "You can stay with us…its fine." Mordecai looked through the window. "I guess." Sean sighed. "I think I want to be left alone." Sean said, quietly.

Rigby nodded and closed the door. "Where are we going?" He asked. "I don't know…um…there's no way we can stay here…so maybe…um…I don't know." Mordecai sighed. "Don't worry, we'll find something, I'm sure." Rigby walked around the car and sat in the front passenger seat. Mordecai got into the driver's seat and closed the door.

"Where are we going?" Sean asked, quietly. "Somewhere safer." Rigby half-lied. "Good." Sean sighed. "'Somewhere safer?'" Mordecai repeated, quieter. "Well…what else did you want me to say?" Rigby glared at him. "Okay, I'm sorry." Mordecai shook his head. "Just go straight, I'm sure we'll find something." Rigby glanced at the road in front of him. "Let's go." Mordecai started the car. The car pulled out of the gas station and was back on the highway a few seconds later.

The next few hours were filled with silence. There was talking, no asking for directions, the only sounds were the occasional cough or sneeze. "Did we even check the glove boxes or in the trunk for anything?" Rigby asked, finally breaking the silence. "Yeah, we got some spare tires in the trunk." Mordecai answered. "What about the glove boxes?" Rigby asked. "Nope, didn't check them." Mordecai replied. Rigby shrugged and opened the glove box in front of him.

Immediately after being opened a bunch of pamphlets and magazines fell onto the floor. Rigby picked up a bunch of them. "What is it?" Mordecai asked. "A bunch of tourist pamphlets and several Playboy magazines." Rigby chuckled. "Eh." Mordecai shrugged. "Don't like Playboy?" Rigby questioned. "You're the only Playboy I need. I don't need a magazine when I can have the real thing." Mordecai chuckled. "Nice one." Rigby rolled his eyes. Rigby stuffed the magazines back into the glove box, excluding the pamphlets and brochures.

"Eh…let me see." Rigby said, holding the pamphlets and brochures in his hands. He began to read some of them, putting them in the glove box after he'd finish reading each one.

"'Brigands Café'… 'Washington Monument'…" Rigby read. "Think these guys were tourists?" Mordecai asked, jokingly. Rigby chuckled. "Wait…what's this?" Rigby said, holding one pamphlet in his hand. "What is it?" Mordecai asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Apparently there's a General Store." Rigby answered. "So?" Mordecai looked at the raccoon, confused. "Dude, it's just off this highway." Rigby glared at him. "It is? Oh! Where is it then?" Mordecai asked, scanning the road.

"There's a map of Georgia on the back of the brochure too, it says…Highway 34…it even has the railroad tracks written on here…we crossed them hours ago." Rigby said. "How can we tell where we are?" Mordecai asked. "It says it's on a dirt road called 'Barney's Drive'." Rigby replied. "So…we just look for 'Barney's Drive'?" Mordecai turned to his friend. Rigby nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Mordecai shrugged and continued to drive.

Sure enough, Twenty minutes later, they found the dirt road and turned off the highway. "Okay, how far down is it?" Mordecai asked. "Dude, it's a brochure map, just look at the road." Rigby put the brochure inside the glove box and helped Mordecai search for the store. "Why are we out here?" Sean asked. "We're searching for a store where we can make a home at." Rigby answered. "Oh…okay." Sean quieted down.

"There it is." Rigby pointed it out. "Okay…let me park the car." Mordecai said, parking the car beside the store. "Let's get inside." Mordecai said, turning the car off. Rigby glanced at the back seat, where Sean was sitting and shrugged. "Let's go." Rigby got out of the car and walked over to the store with Mordecai. Sean got out of the car and followed them over.

"Is it open?" Mordecai asked. "Only one way to find out." Rigby said, walking up some steps onto the porch. Rigby glanced at the door. "It's been boarded up." Rigby commented. "Does that mean that…Mordecai?" Rigby turned around. Sean and Mordecai weren't there anymore. "The hell?" Rigby commented. "Mordecai?! Sean!?" He exclaimed. "This isn't funny!" Rigby shouted. Suddenly, Rigby's face was covered with a bag. The bag was squeezed tightly around the raccoon's neck, so that he couldn't breathe.

A few seconds later, Rigby fell unconscious.

**There we go, another chapter of ARO. Sorry for the wait, I was on holiday for a few days, my apologies. Well, at least you have a new chapter now. :D There are serious flaws in this chapter, but whatever, I'm exhausted.**

**I would've written more, but I've had a big day. Don't worry, another chapter will be up soon.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter.**

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**Goodbye**

**R.S.M.**


	5. Episode Five: The Talk

**A Regular Outbreak**

**SEASON ONE: AMERICA'S DOWNFALL**

**This chapter is a massive milestone, we've officially reached 200,000 words! (Ever written). Thanks for everything guys! Let's continue with the story.**

**Episode Five: The Talk**

**9th of March, 2024, Evening**

**Day 235**

Rigby held his eyes closed. He groaned, he was in so much pain. It was as if someone was stabbing him in the neck. Rigby opened his eyes slowly, but all he saw was darkness. Suddenly, he could hear cries of pain coming from nearby, and a few voices which he could not understand. Rigby kept quiet for a second and studied the sounds. "Sagen Sie uns, warum Sie hierher gekommen!" Someone shouted, in an angry tone. "I don't understand you! Speak English!" Someone else shouted, followed by a cry of pain. Rigby immediately knew who that was. "Mordecai?" Rigby called his friend's name. "Mordecai!" Rigby exclaimed. "Rigby?" Mordecai heard his friend.

"Wir sollten gerade diese Menschen-lassen…" Another person said. "They might be working with Travis, we have to take them out." Another man said. "Ja mein fuher." The other man sighed and continued to beat Mordecai up. "Mordecai! Where are you!?" Rigby shouted. Mordecai didn't answer, he was in too much pain to speak. "Should we kill them?" Another man said. "Ja." The second one answered.

Suddenly, the sound of tipping garbage cans was heard outside. "Go check it out!" One of the men, - possibly the leader – ordered. The sound of footsteps were heard as the other two men went to check out the noises, while the leader remained. "Rigby…where are you?" Mordecai asked. "I don't know, I can't see." Rigby answered. "Neither can I." Mordecai sighed. Suddenly, the sounds of muffled screams could be heard. "Rigby? You okay?" Mordecai called.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you hear that too?" Rigby asked. "Yeah I do…" Mordecai answered. A few seconds later, the lights came back on. Mordecai and Rigby were astonished when they noticed Sean was beside the switch. "Sean? How did you get in here?" Rigby asked. "I never got caught." Sean plainly answered. Mordecai glanced to the right and gasped, there was a dead guy lying beside him. "Jesus!" Mordecai exclaimed. "Did you…?" Mordecai glanced at the wolf. "They were gonna kill you." The wolf folded his arms. "Oh…" Mordecai fell silent.

"They're gonna come back in soon, let me untie you guys." Sean ran over to Mordecai and cut the ropes holding his wings together. Sean ran over to Rigby and quickly untied him. "The other two guys are gonna come back, come on let's get out of here." Mordecai walked off with Sean. "I can't go anywhere!" Rigby shouted. "Why not?" Mordecai glanced back at his spouse. "I don't know…I can't move my legs." Rigby answered, attempting to get up. "I'll help you." Mordecai walked over to Rigby and helped him stand.

Mordecai held his friend's paw tightly and quickly ran out of the general store, with Sean running quickly behind him. When they ran outside, they immediately caught the attention of the other two men, who'd gone out to investigate the noise earlier. "Sie sind entkommen! Tötet sie!" One of the shouted, pointing a rifle at Rigby. "Get to the car!" Sean shouted, sprinting to the car. Mordecai helped his friend to the car, making sure that his friend was okay.

Suddenly, a bullet pierced Rigby's shoulder, causing him to lose Mordecai's grip and fall over. "No!" Mordecai shouted, turning back and picking his friend up. Sean quickly jumped in the car, laying down in the back seat to avoid the gunfire. Mordecai threw his friend on the back seat beside him and jumped into the driver's seat. Mordecai quickly started the engine and drove off, as the two German men continued to shoot at them until they went out of sight.

Rigby was screaming in pain. "Calm down!" Mordecai shouted. "How can I calm down? I was just shot!" Rigby screamed. "There's not much we can do! Just give me a second!" Mordecai shouted. Sean was just cowering in the back seat. "I feel sick…" Rigby calmed down. Mordecai just ignored him and gripped the wheel extremely hard, his hands melting into the leather of the steering wheel cover.

"This is too much…" Sean said to himself. "Just…keep a cool head…" Rigby said, faintly. Rigby's eyes slowly closed and he passed out. Suddenly, the car was silent.

"I'm scared." Sean cried. Mordecai's grip of the steering wheel loosened. "I want my dad." Sean cowered. Mordecai turned to face Sean, who was covering his eyes. "Don't worry…we'll find a safe place to rest and…then we'll help Rigby." Mordecai calmed down. A few minutes later, they were back on the highway. "He's not going to die…he's not going to die…" Mordecai was quietly whispering to himself. "You really care for him, don't you?" Sean took his hands away from his eyes and turned his attention to the panicked blue jay.

"Well…yeah." Mordecai plainly answered. "Is he like, family?" Sean questioned. "No, we're married." Mordecai replied. "Oh." Sean fell silent. After a few hours, the back seat was covered with the blood from Rigby's wound. Sean had moved into the front seat, and Mordecai had been quiet for hours. "You…wanna talk?" Sean asked. "NO." Mordecai answered, loudly. Sean sighed, he looked up at the highway in front of him and looked at the bird.

"Why are you so mean to each other?" Sean asked. "What do you mean?" Mordecai sounded confused. "You two always argue." Sean plainly said. "People do it all the time." Mordecai sighed. "But I…" "Just shut up!" Mordecai shouted, keeping Sean quiet. "There." Mordecai pointed to something on the right side of the road. It was a storage facility. "'Ten-I-See Storage.'" Sean read. "There doesn't seem to be any of those…things out there, so let's just get Rigby out of the car." Mordecai said, stopping the car in the middle of the lot.

Mordecai slowly got out and opened the back door. Sean got out of the front seat and helped Mordecai carry Rigby to a nearby open storage unit. "Just there." Mordecai ordered. The two friend slowly and cautiously sat the unconscious raccoon on the cement. "We need something for him to rest on or…s-something." Mordecai stuttered. "Calm down, we'll find something." Sean crossed his arms.

"My husband may be DYING as we speak! So don't tell me to calm down!" Mordecai screamed. Sean kept quiet. "That's no way to talk to a child…" Rigby coughed, waking up. "Are you okay?" Mordecai knelt to his friend's side, ignoring his comment. "I'm in extreme pain…that bullet didn't do any good." Rigby groaned. "There's no pharmacy for miles…we're gonna have to figure something else out." Sean sat beside Rigby. "At least the bleeding stopped." Mordecai noticed, glancing at Rigby's wound. "How long have I been out?" Rigby asked. "Over four hours." Sean answered. "Damn…" Rigby groaned.

"I'll search the storage units and see if there's anything that we can use to fix the wound." Mordecai said. "Until I get back, I'm going to lock you guys in here." Mordecai glanced at the garage door, above him. "Why?" Sean asked. "Because those guys might be still after us." Mordecai answered. "Fine…stay safe." Sean glanced at Mordecai, who reached for the garage door. He gave Sean a reassuring look, then gave Rigby a worried look, and shut the door. Sean found a matchbox nearby and lit a match, so they had a little bit of light. "Don't take his words to heart." Rigby said, faintly. "He doesn't mean it. He's just trying to protect me." Rigby reassured the wolf. "I understand but…why does he care for you so much? It's unhealthy, he could get himself killed!" Sean whispered loudly. "I think you're a little young to understand compassion, kid." Rigby rolled his eyes.

The unit fell silent. "How did you know dad?" Sean asked, calmly. "We…used to be roommates, up in New York." Rigby pointed to nowhere in particular. "Oh, so what changed?" Sean continued to question the raccoon. Rigby gripped his shoulder for a second. "Urgh…anything comfy I could lie against?" Rigby asked, looking into the darkness. Sean stood up and held the match in his paw. "There's a ripped couch cushion here." Sean said, picking it up slowly and laying it against the wall, behind Rigby's top half. "Thanks." Rigby sighed, leaning against the pillow, feeling great already.

"No problem." Sean smiled. "He's not gonna come back for a while, isn't he?" Sean glanced at the closed door. "No, he's not." Rigby shook his head slowly. "How old _are _you anyway?" Sean asked awkwardly. "I'm twenty nine." Rigby crossed his arms. "Sorry…anyway…why don't you tell me about yourself? How did you meet Mordecai?" Sean continued to question him. "Well…I've known him since I was 4." Rigby began. "I originally came from Cartlyn Falls, a small town near Twin Peaks on the west side of Pennsylvania, actually pretty close to the border to New York, in Cartlyn Falls we went to this pre-school together…I…never really connected with kids very well my age…so…when he talked to me the first time, I gotta admit, I was a little frazzled…" Rigby continued.

**TWENTY FIVE YEARS EARLIER**

"Lettuce sandwich, again." A younger Rigby sighed, as he opened his lunch box. "I get the same thing every time." He shoved the sandwich back into his lunch box. The raccoon put his lunch box back into his pre-school backpack and sighed. He glanced over at the playground, which was completely covered with the rest of the pre-school kids and sighed. Not too far away, a familiar blue jay was sitting with a few of his friends. "…and so I said, 'It's my toy now.'" One of the kids laughed. The other three just shook their heads. Mordecai glanced over at Rigby, who was reading a comic.

"That kid's always alone." Mordecai commented. "For a good reason. You wouldn't want to be seen around him." One of the kids replied. "Why?" Mordecai questioned. "He reads." One of the kids answered. The two other kids gasped. Mordecai just rolled his eyes. "I'll go talk to him." Mordecai jumped off the bench. "I wouldn't. People will think you're a fag." Another kid commented. "Whatever." Mordecai grabbed his backpack and walked over to Rigby.

Rigby turned a page of his comic book and continued to read. "Hey kid, want some company?" Mordecai sat beside the raccoon. "Let me guess, you want my lunch money? Or my action figure? Oh wait! Let me guess! You want this?" Rigby looked up from his comic book. "No wait…" "No, let me finish! I haven't got any lunch money and I didn't bring my action figures either. Though I guess you can…" Rigby interrupted the blue jay. "Shut up and listen! I just want to talk to you." Mordecai exclaimed.

"What…?" Rigby seemed surprised. "I just want to talk. Hasn't anyone talked to you before?" Mordecai crossed his wings. Rigby drooped his head. "Oh…sorry." Mordecai apologized. "It's fine." Rigby sighed. "What are you reading?" Mordecai leant over the raccoon's shoulder. "Burrito Man." Rigby answered.

"Cool." Mordecai replied. "Want to read it?" Rigby asked. "Sure, thanks." Mordecai carefully grabbed the comic. "What's your name?" Mordecai asked. "Rigby…um…what's yours?" Rigby asked, still surprised that someone would talk to him. "Mordecai." Mordecai held out his wing. Rigby cautiously shook the bird's wing. "Wanna be friends?" Rigby asked. "Well…sure." Mordecai shrugged. "Promise?" Rigby asked, holding out his hand. "Promise." Mordecai shook Rigby's paw.

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

"…and ever since then, we've been closer than…well…anything." Rigby finished his story. "You seem like the closest of friends." Sean replied. "Can you be in love with someone and still be their friend?" Sean asked. "Yes." Rigby answered. "That's weird." Sean shook his head. "I know." Rigby chuckled. "Do you feel better now? Or are you still sore?" Sean asked. "I'm comfortable, but I still hurt." Rigby replied. "Don't worry, I'm sure Mordecai will be back soon." Sean comforted the raccoon.

"You're awfully…mature for your age." Rigby commented. "Thank you for saying so." Sean smiled, proudly. "How old _are_ you anyway?" Rigby asked. "I turned seven on the third." Sean sighed. "Well…happy birthday for then." Rigby pat the wolf on the back. "Thanks. When's your birthday anyway?" Sean asked. "The nineteenth of July." Rigby answered. "Hmm, that isn't too far away." Sean said.

Suddenly, the garage door slowly opened, and a blue jay stood proudly. "It's night time?" Sean noted. "It's been eight hours." Mordecai answered, holding the garage door open. "Hey." Rigby greeted the bird, weakly. "How're you feeling?" Mordecai asked. "Better." Rigby answered. "How did you get that?" Sean asked, pointing to a few boxes of items in Mordecai's wings. "I managed to find a couple of these in one of the storage units." Mordecai answered. "Though most of them were locked." Mordecai shook his head.

Mordecai had a small box of Band-Aids, some bandages and a box of antibiotics. "Take these, they'll make sure that an infection won't spread." Mordecai opened the box of antibiotics and handed a capsule to his friend. "We don't have water at the moment, sorry." Mordecai apologized. "It's fine." Rigby answered, throwing the capsule down his throat. "Here, let me cover your wound." Mordecai walked over to the raccoon and unravelled the bandage around Rigby's left shoulder.

A few minutes later, Rigby's wounds were covered. "What do we do now?" Rigby asked. "I suppose we should just wait here until morning." Mordecai shrugged. "Sounds like a plan." Rigby glanced at Sean, who'd just fallen asleep. Mordecai made sure he was inside the storage unit and shut the garage door.

Mordecai walked over quietly to his friend, but suddenly heard the sound of glass clattering. "What the hell?" Mordecai exclaimed. The bird bent down and picked up the object. Mordecai grabbed his cell phone and turned it on, using it as light. "Only 30% charge left." Mordecai commented, before using the light from the phone to investigate the object. "It's an old lantern." Mordecai said. "We can use that for light." Rigby glanced at the lantern. "No shit." Mordecai chuckled. Rigby grabbed the matchbox that Sean was using the lit the lantern.

"And as god said…let there be light." Mordecai chuckled. Mordecai sat the lantern in the middle of the storage unit and sat against the wall, beside his wounded friend. "I missed you." Rigby said. "Me too." Mordecai replied. "What did you do while I was gone?" Mordecai asked. "We just talked." Rigby answered, plainly. Mordecai glanced at the wolf. "Poor kid, he's been through so much." The bird commented. "You think he'll make it through this?" Rigby asked, weakly. "Well, he made it this far." Mordecai shrugged.

Rigby's eyes began to close, he was falling asleep. "You know what, Mordecai?" Rigby glanced at his spouse, who had his head resting on the raccoon's chest. "Yeah?" The blue jay glanced at him. "I wish we had a son." Rigby shut his eyes, and fell into deep sleep.

Mordecai gasped. "I…never thought about that…" Mordecai muttered to himself. The bird glanced at Sean, who was laying by himself nearby. Mordecai sighed;

"Now that I think about it…I _do_ wish I had a son."

**I know this was a short chapter, but I'm exhausted. And…this chapter has to be the worst one so far, but I have major writer's block, so…whatever.**

**See you in the next chapter.**

**R.S.M.**


	6. Episode Six: In Harm's Way

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Quick A/N; I've taken a 'Walking Dead' style of events and turned chapters into Episodes. (Five episodes = 1 Season. But since we're already six chapters in, this season will have six episodes, so this is the season finale). Also, old characters return! I'll explain at the bottom, see you guys there.**

**Episode Six: In Harm's Way**

**10th of March, 2024, Early Morning**

**Day 236**

Somewhere in the north of America, two friends were taking shelter in a coffee shop, after having just escaped from a horde of the undead.

"There…secure." A red robin sighed, as she nailed some planks to the door and the wall, stopping anything from getting in. "Then how do we get out?" A nearby Mole asked. "We improvise." The robin shrugged. "Got any food left? I'm starving." The robin asked. "I got a few energy bars and a Gatorade. It was all I could get from the car." The mole replied. "Chuck me an energy bar." The robin said. The mole reached into her bar and pulled out an energy bar and passed it to her friend. "There you go, Margaret." The mole watched the robin catch the energy bar. "Thanks Eileen." The robin peeled open the bar and threw the wrapping away.

Eileen could hear the zombies at the door, attempting to break it down. "Think they'll get in here?" She asked. "No, it's nailed down tight." Margaret answered, walking down a flight of stairs, with the mole following her close behind. "Kinda reminds me of our old coffee shop." Margaret sighed. "It _does_ look similar. Maybe it's a chain?" Eileen suggested, following the bird. "No, there's only one. At least…that's what our manager used to say." Margaret shrugged.

The two friends walked over to a table, which they noticed was flipped over and glanced at one another. "Help me get this table upright." Margaret grabbed the edge of the table. The mole nodded and put her paws onto the opposite edge of the table. "Flip!" Margaret exclaimed. The two friends flipped the table back upright, before grabbing two chairs. "We're sitting at a table? At a time like this?" Eileen questioned, sitting her chair down. "We're safe. Stop being so paranoid." Margaret sat on her chair.

"You think Mordecai's okay?" Margaret asked, leaning on the table. "I'm sure he's fine. He's got Rigby to take care of him." Eileen reassured the robin. "You aren't…_still_ mad at Rigby, are you?" Eileen asked. "To be honest, not anymore. I understand now…I…just have a bad feeling that something's not right." Margaret answered. "They're fine, stop worrying." Eileen opened her bag and pulled out a book. Eileen began to read it. "Suzanne Collins? Who's she?" Margaret asked, reading the cover. "She's a woman who wrote the Hunger Games trilogy." Eileen answered, not taking her eyes off her book. Margaret just shrugged. "Want a book?" Eileen asked, glancing at her bored friend. "I don't…I don't usually read…" Margaret made an excuse. The mole rolled her eyes.

"Here." She grabbed a book out of her bag and passed it to the robin. "'World Wide Animals, The Guide to the Earth's Wildlife and their Habits?'" Margaret read. "Meh, it's either pictures, or a novel." Eileen turned her book around, showing Margaret the words from her book. "Ah! Too many words for me." Margaret quickly opened her book. Eileen 'hmphed' just liked Mordecai and Rigby used to do and continued to read.

"I hate books." Margaret mumbled. "I thought you liked books? Didn't you read books in college?" Eileen asked. Margaret rolled her eyes and glanced at the first page. "'Written by Harold Smith, Pictures taken by Craig Collins an…" "Mind reading that in your head?" Eileen asked, peering over her book. "Oh sorry." Margaret paid attention to her book.

She skipped a few pages ahead, to the contents and thought for a moment. 'Could I find _me_ in here?' She thought to herself as she scanned the page. Sure enough, after a few seconds, she eventually found 'Robin' and skipped to the page. She didn't read any of the words, she just glanced at the picture of what Robins are 'supposed' to look like. "Eww." She put her wing atop of the picture and flipped back to the contents. "What?" Eileen asked. "Nothing…" Margaret sighed.

'Mordecai…maybe he's in here.' Margaret thought scanning the pages. And once again, she found what she was looking for. She flipped to the page which had 'The Blue Jay' written on the top of it. She glanced at the picture and sighed. She made sure Eileen wasn't looking and pecked the picture of the blue jay. "Did you just kiss my book?" Eileen noticed her, making a disgusted face. "I guess I did?" Margaret shrugged. "Why?" Eileen asked. "Dunno." Margaret shrugged. "Gross." Eileen shivered.

_Meanwhile_

"I gave you simple instructions! Simple: Grab as many supplies as you could from the grocery store, and look!" A man held up a backpack, glancing at a ghost and goat, who he was yelling at. "It's a backpack." The ghost shrugged. "All that's in here is cigarettes! Not a single item of food!" The man shouted. "You didn't say food or drink, you said supplies." The ghost chuckled. Benson glanced at the goat.

"Well, I did put in a few packs of gum." The goat shrugged. "Gum isn't gonna keep us alive, Thomas!" The man shouted. "Calm down Benson." The ghost crossed its arms. "I'm trying to keep us _alive!_ Do you want us to _die!?_" Benson screamed. "No, but I really needed some cigarettes." The ghost shrugged. "There are dozens of packs in here!" Benson shouted. "To last for the next few weeks!" The ghost exclaimed. "It's just like running that damn park…nobody ever listens to me!" Benson muttered.

"Don't we want 'being alive' to be fun?" Thomas asked. "Fun? You want surviving to be fun?" Benson narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, otherwise it's boring." Thomas shrugged. "Wake up dumbass! It's an apocalypse, not your normal day at the park!" Benson shouted. "You can't say that, you were fired years ago." The ghost chuckled. "Wow Fives, you really had to stoop _that_ low." Benson sighed. "Meh." Fives shrugged. "Just get back in the house." Benson pinched the bridge of his nose and followed Thomas and Fives into a nearby house.

"Put the bag in the supply box." Benson threw the bag at Thomas. Thomas caught the bag and walked into a nearby room. While he walked over to the 'supply box', Benson and Fives were arguing. "You seriously need to get over this smoking habit, what if we were starving and dying and we sent you out to get food, and all you brought back was this!" Benson shouted. "I dunno." HFG shrugged. "You dunno, you dunno? I don't know how you're still alive." Benson rubbed his dome. "Because I'm a ghost?" HFG chuckled.

Thomas placed the bag in the supply box, which was completely empty and walked back into the hallway, where HFG and Benson were arguing. "And for your information, you're not my boss. I can smoke as much as I want." HFG hovered over to the supply box and grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the bag.

"For god's sake Fives!" Benson exclaimed. Fives grabbed his lighter and lit a cigarette. "Are you even listening to me!?" Benson exclaimed. Thomas just shook his head in disappointment. Five breathed in the cigarette and blew a puff of smoke into Benson's face. "Chill out Benson." Fives chuckled. "AHHHHH!" Benson screamed in annoyance. Thomas laughed and hi-fived his friend. "I'm getting out of here…away from you. I'm not dying here." Benson growled, walking out of the room. "Benson, wait." Thomas followed him to the door. "What?" Benson asked, turning around. "Why not stay here and die with us?" Thomas shrugged. Benson sighed. "Whatever, as long as you are out of my sight." Benson growled, glaring at Thomas as he walked back into the room with HFG.

"Don't worry Thomas, he'll get used to it." Fives handed Thomas a cigarette. "Want one?" he asked. "Don't smoke, thanks anyway." Thomas replied. "Ok man, your missing out." Fives shrugged and continued to smoke.

_Back at the storage unit_

Mordecai didn't sleep much that night, he had thoughts revolving around his head about the things he and his spouse talked about the night before. The blue jay leant against the cement wall of the unit, not realising that the sun had risen outside. "A child…" Mordecai muttered. "We…" Mordecai sighed. Mordecai's muttering awoke Sean, who was asleep near the door. "Urgh…what time is it?" Sean asked, yawning. "Dunno." Mordecai shrugged. "What's your problem?" Sean asked, standing up.

"I…dunno…" Mordecai shook his head. "Uh huh, sure." Sean grabbed the garage door and threw it open. "What are you doing!?" Mordecai whispered, loudly. "Takin' a piss. I ain't pissin' in there." Sean crossed his arms. "What if there's zombies out there?" Mordecai glanced out the garage door. "You can come with me, watch over me." Sean suggested. "I can't leave Rigby behind." Mordecai replied. "You don't have to. What's all the ruckus?" Rigby had awoken, and was attempting to stand up. "Let me help." Mordecai walked over to the raccoon and helped him up.

"It isn't comfortable here. I'd rather leave." Rigby said, walking over to Sean. The wolf just shrugged. "Let's go then." Mordecai said, walking out of the garage. The wolf helped the raccoon over to the car, which was close by. "Rigby, stay in the car, I gotta take Sean for a piss." Mordecai said. The raccoon nodded and sat in the back seat.

"Come along." Mordecai led Sean out of the compound and out into the forest, not too far away. "Go ahead, do your business." Mordecai turned around and faced the road, looking out for any zombies or mutants that would dare try to attack them. About a minute later Sean walked back over to the bird. "Thanks Mordecai." The wolf smiled at him. "No problem kiddo, now we gotta go." Mordecai said.

Sean glanced at the bird and took his wing. "Eh?" Mordecai looked down at Sean, with a confused face. "I feel safe with you." Sean stated. Mordecai was touched, he'd never would have expected Sean to say that. "Thanks Sean, that means a lot." Mordecai smiled at the wolf. "No problem, it's fitting." Sean commented. "What do you mean?" Mordecai turned to the kid. "You seem like a good caretaker, and I respect you for that. Take Rigby for example, you show that raccoon the kindness and caring only the highest of the high receive, he's really lucky to have a father figure like you." Sean breathed in, after finishing his speech.

Mordecai knelt down to the wolf and gave him a hug. "You are amazing, you know that?" Mordecai asked. "Thanks." Sean replied, pulling away from the hug. "Come on, let's get back to the car." Mordecai pat the wolf on the back. Sean grabbed Mordecai's wing and they walked back to the car. "That was a long piss." Rigby chuckled. "Whatever man." Mordecai got in the driver's side, while Sean got in the back, to watch over Rigby.

"How're you feeling?" Mordecai turned around. "Better than yesterday." Rigby responded, he seemed to be in better health. "Good, we're gonna head a bit further up north." Mordecai said, turning the car on. "I thought we were heading to California?" Rigby was confused. "Not anymore." Mordecai pulled out of the storage facility. Sean glanced at the sign out the front; 'Ten-I-See storage'. "What a crappy joke. That's so old." Sean commented, as they drove off.

"Where are we going?" Rigby asked. "Dunno, north." Mordecai shrugged. "Why?" Rigby questioned. "Wait…it snows up north, correct?" Sean said. "Most places up north, yes." Rigby answered. "Won't the snow slow the zombies down? Wouldn't that be the logical thing to happen?" Sean suggested. "Hmm…good point." Mordecai rubbed his chin.

"Let's just go further north and see what happens." Sean recommended. Mordecai nodded and looked back at the road ahead of him. "Think we'll see any of our friends again?" Rigby asked. "Possibly, you never know." Mordecai shrugged. "Who are your friends?" Sean questioned. "Well, one of them is a goat, another is a ghost…one is a mole and another is a red robin…and…there's a yeti-type thing and a gumball machine." Mordecai explained. "You have a lot of interesting people as friends." Sean commented. "Oh you don't even know the half of it." Rigby chuckled.

Rigby glanced at the back of the seat in front of him and noticed a CD lodged in the back of the chair. The raccoon reached for it and grabbed it. He glanced at the cover. "A CD? What is it?" Sean asked, glancing at the CD the raccoon was holding. "Best #1 Songs of history." Rigby read. "Can I see the cover?" Sean held out his paw. Rigby shrugged and handed it over. "'Eye of the Tiger…Down Under…Girlfriend…' there's a lot of songs on here." Sean read. "Any good ones?" Rigby asked. "Eye of the Tiger is a good one." Mordecai said. Rigby shrugged and grabbed the CD off of Sean. "Here." Rigby opened the cover and handed the disc to Mordecai. Mordecai slipped the CD in the player. "What song is it?" Mordecai asked. "16." Rigby answered.

"This is gonna be eppppiiiiiicccc." Sean chimed. "WOOOOOAAHHHH!" The three friends exclaimed in unison.

_Meanwhile_

"I miss working in the park." Thomas commented. "We all do." HFG sighed. "Some more than others." Thomas glanced at Benson who'd fallen asleep beside the door. "Think we'll make it through this?" Thomas asked. "Well, I'm a ghost, so I know I will." HFG replied, confidently. "So…it just leaves me and Benson." Thomas narrowed his eyes. Fives just shrugged. "We've been here for so long that I don't even know what town or state this is…" Thomas held his head. "I don't remember what town this is, but we're in Missouri." Fives answered.

Suddenly, there were screams coming from outside. "What the hell?" Thomas exclaimed, walking over to the window. "We should check that out." Fives floated beside the goat. "You sure?" Thomas wasn't eager. "Let's just go." Fives grabbed his machete and Thomas grabbed his bat and they walked out of the house and toward where the screams were coming from.

_At the same time_

"I can't hold them off!" Margaret shouted, leaning against the door of the coffee shop. The planks of wood that were nailed together that kept the door closed he snapped when a horde of zombies rushed into the door. Eileen was hysterical. "Eileen! Stop screaming! You'll bring all of the zombies on top of us!" Margaret shouted, desperately trying to keep the door closed. Eileen just ignored her. "Stop screaming!" Margaret screamed. "Help me with the damn door!" Margaret exclaimed. Eileen calmed down a bit. "What can I do!?" Eileen exclaimed. "I dunno! Something! Go to the kitchen! There should be a knife in there somewhere!" Margaret ordered. Eileen ran into the kitchen of the coffee shop and sure enough, there was a butcher's knife laying on a cutting board.

Eileen grabbed the knife and ran back to the door. "Cut their fucking arms off!" Margaret shouted. Eileen pinched the bridge of her nose and began to chop the arms off of the zombies that were trying to get in.

_Meanwhile_

"It's coming from there." Fives pointed to a coffee shop. "There's some zombies out the front, and the screaming has stopped." Thomas noted. "Let's go take them down." Fives floated over. "You sure?" Thomas asked, concerned. "Yes." Fives nodded and charged at the zombies clambering over each other at the door.

Thomas shrugged and charged in with his baseball bat. Fives decapitated a few of the zombies and dug the machete in their heads. Thomas grabbed a particular zombie and bashed its brains in with the bat. After a few seconds, the horde was defeated and the two friends were glancing at the door. "Should we go inside?" Fives asked. Thomas nodded. Fives shrugged and walked in, with Thomas following him inside.

Suddenly, Margaret popped out from beside the door and knocked the two men out with her Encyclopaedia. "Did you get them?" Eileen asked. "Yeah…but…I think I know them." Margaret made an observation. "Margaret, that's Thomas and Hi-Five Ghost!" Eileen exclaimed.

_Somewhere near the border to Missouri_

Mordecai, Rigby and Sean were closing in to the border of Missouri. "Now we don't have music." Rigby growled. "Why'd you throw it out the window!?" Mordecai exclaimed. "I'm not listening to Gangnam Style, its torture." Sean crossed his arms. "What the hell?" Mordecai looked at the road ahead of him. "What is it?" Rigby asked, looking through the windscreen. "There's some sort of road block up ahead." Mordecai answered. "Roadblock?" Sean glanced through the windscreen with Rigby.

"Dude, there's people!" Rigby pointed. "I can see that." Mordecai replied. Mordecai slowed the car down and stopped at the border. "Out of the car!" One of the men shouted. "What?" Mordecai asked. The man came to the driver's side door and opened it. He threw Mordecai out onto the road and got a couple of the other guys to throw Rigby and Sean out of the car.

Mordecai, Rigby and Sean were laying on the cement, wondering what was going on. "Urgh…" Rigby groaned as his face was on the cement. "Who are you people?" Mordecai asked, looking up. "None of your concern, Troy, Anne, take these three in." The man ordered. "Yes sir." Troy walked over to the three friends and grabbed Sean by the neck. "Hey!" Mordecai shouted, standing up. "Sit. Down." Anne pointed her pistol at the blue jay's head.

"Leave us alone!" Sean shouted. "Shut up kid!" Troy grabbed Sean and dragged him behind the road block. "Where are you taking him?" Rigby asked. "'Him'? I'm not taking just the kid, you're coming too." The man said, grabbing Mordecai's neck and holding him in place. He took Mordecai behind the road block, to where Sean was being taken.

"Come on animal." Anne grabbed Rigby and brought him behind the road block. "Let's go." The man nodded at the rest of the people, who were watching. "But Stan, shouldn't we just kill them?" One of the women asked. "Because we might need them for the plan." 'Stan' answered. "Okay sir." The women nodded. "Come on, let's go watch over the prisoners." Stan walked over behind the roadblock, with the rest of the people following him.

"Wait a second sir." Anne came back and stopped Stan. "What is it, Anne?" Stan asked. "What if they try to escape?" Anne questioned. "Don't worry, they won't escape, because they won't know they're prisoners." Stan replied. "And how do we do that?" Anne glanced over at Rigby, Sean and Mordecai, who were being dragged away, against they're will.

"We make sure they don't remember who they are."

**NEXT TIME, ON A REGULAR OUTBREAK**

Thomas and Fives awaken to see Margaret and Eileen standing above them. "You're alive?" Thomas gasped. "We thought you were dead!" Eileen exclaimed.

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"Mordecai, you have to believe me! Rigby isn't himself!" Sean tried to convince the bird. "I think he's normal." Mordecai shook his head. "We have to get out of here! To find a new home!" Sean continued to convince Mordecai. "This is our home now." Mordecai glanced at the wolf.

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"Sir! This isn't right! Innocent people are going to die!" One of Stan's people said. "Are you going soft?" Stan glared at her. "No! I ju…" Stan shot the woman in the head. "Anyone else wanna turn against me?" Stan glanced at the dead body of one of his own people.

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Thomas and Fives return to the house. "Benson's not there anymore." Fives pointed the door. "Benson?" Thomas called his name. "He's not in the house." Fives noted. "He's gone." Thomas sighed.

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"Kid, we need to stop this, Stan will stop at nothing to kill anyone in his way to protect his child." One of Stan's people was speaking to Sean. "I understand but what can we do?" Sean asked. "We get your friend's memories back and meet up at the courtyard." The girl knelt down to the wolf. After a few seconds she continued to speak;

"We'll take him down, too many innocent people have died."

**Thanks for reading Season One! This has been a good story so far and I look forward to continue! Please PM me OC's or story ideas! I'm always open to suggestions. Thanks for reading everyone! I'll see you in the next chapter!**

**RSM**


	7. Episode Seven: New Home

**A Regular Outbreak**

**PREVIOUSLY ON A REGULAR OUTBREAK**

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"…there will be no help for the remaining states of America, if there's anyone else alive. May god be with you."

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"Can I help?" Chris asked his father. "Just take this stuff out to the car." Felix answered. "Anything else?" Chris questioned. "Just do it!" Felix shouted. "Yes dad." Chris sighed, walking out of the 7/11.

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"Dad, wake up." Chris was crying over his dad's dead body. "Dad?" Chris cried. "Take him to the car." Mordecai ordered. Taylor nodded and took her son to the car, kicking and screaming.

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Felix was getting closer to the blue jay. "Kill him or don't. It is your decision." Rigby said, sternly. The blue jay held in a breath and ran to the car with the raccoon. "No." Mordecai plainly said.

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"Taylor took Chris up to California. I hope they made it safe." Carly said, quietly. "We all do, honey." Micheal comforted his wife.

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"Micheal! Get away from her! She'll…" It was too late, Carly bit into Micheal's neck, tearing it apart and killing him instantly. "Dad…" Sean cried, as Rigby walked him to the car.

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"You take care of that raccoon. You're a great care-taker." Sean grasped the bird's wing. "You should be proud." Sean glanced at Mordecai. Mordecai smiled at the wolf. "Let's go." He quietly said.

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"We make sure they don't escape." Stan said, calmly. "How do we do that?" Ann asked.

"We make sure they don't remember who they are."

**Season Two: In Plain Sight**

**Episode One: New Home**

**10th of March, 2024, Afternoon**

**Day 236**

Our three heroes slowly made followed their captors to an unknown location. They had no chance of escaping _alive_. Two people were behind them, with rifles pointed at their heads just in case they did a runner, and three people in front of them, to keep them in line. "Where are we going?" Rigby asked, quietly. "I don't know." Mordecai sighed. "Are we going to die?" Sean whispered, glancing at the bird. "I'm sure we're going to be fine." Mordecai reassured the kid. Sean kept his head down.

Their captors brought them through a part of the forest and into a parking lot. "Eh?" Mordecai was confused. "This is where you're taking us?" Rigby turned around, facing Stan. "Just shut up and keep moving." Stan growled. Rigby turned around quickly and glanced at the sight before him. "A supermarket?" Rigby furrowed an eyebrow. "What did I say?" Stan glanced at the raccoon. "Sorry." Rigby sighed. "Bring these…things to the 'guest' rooms." Stan said, to Ann. "Yes sir." She nodded, watching her boss run into the supermarket.

"Guest rooms?" Rigby glanced at Ann, who towered over him. "Just keep moving, kid." Ann glanced at the supermarket. "I'm not a kid, I'm twenty seven." Rigby glared at her. Ann pushed her gun up against the raccoon's back to keep him moving. Sure enough, it worked. Rigby moved towards the supermarket with Mordecai and Sean. A few seconds later, they were in the supermarket. "…I apologize for the loss of man power, but we have some joining us today." Someone spoke, over the loudspeaker. "These…things joining us today, even though they're not one of _us_, they're still alive and moving, and shall be treated with the respect they _deserve_." It was Stan.

"Is he talking about us?" Mordecai asked. "I think so." Sean nodded. "Who're these freaks?" A woman asked, glancing at the three friends. "Don't look at them, they're abominations." Her husband replied. Rigby growled. Mordecai pat Rigby's shoulder, calming him down. "And with these things joining us today, they're going to help all of us, including myself, make this place, a beacon, of hope." Stan finished.

"Which one of you is the leader?" Stan approached. "Um…I am?" Rigby raised his paw. "Come with me." Stan ordered. "But…" Mordecai argued. "Take the other two there, I'll take care of this one." Stan nodded. Ann acknowledged Stan and forced Mordecai and Sean away. "What are you gonna do with him?" Mordecai asked. "Don't worry, he'll be fine." Ann reassured the bird. Mordecai sighed.

"Come along." Stan began to walk. Rigby followed him a fair way around the supermarket and around to the manager's office. "Why am I here?" Rigby asked, as Stan shut the door behind them. "To talk." Stan sat down. "My hands are binded." Rigby shrugged. Stan rolled his eyes and walked over to the raccoon. Stan pulled out a knife and cut the ropes binding his paws. "Now, sit. And don't try anything stupid." Stan warned him. Rigby nodded and sat on a chair.

"Who are you?" Stan plainly asked. "What do you mean?" Rigby glanced at Stan, confused. "You seriously didn't understand the question." Stan rolled his eyes. "I did, but…" "Nevermind." Stan interrupted the raccoon. "What is your business in Missouri?" Stan asked. "Please don't tell me you guys are heading to California." Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. "A few of our friends are, but we're not." Rigby replied. "Then where are you headed?" Stan questioned. "Up north I guess, going south is a mistake." Rigby replied. "Smart." Stan complimented him. "I guess." Rigby shrugged.

"I guess you're not as stupid as I thought." Stan put his feet on his desk and relaxed. "What do you want from us?" Rigby asked. "We need assistance and man-power to keep this place alive, so we can – as I quoted before – make this place a beacon of hope." Stan replied. "Hope for what?" Rigby questioned. "Hope for life, Hope for survival, Hope in general." Stan shrugged. "So what can I do?" Rigby questioned. "You can keep your group in line until tomorrow." Stan replied. "Why only until tomorrow?" Rigby asked, suspicious. "Because tomorrow, we have something planned for you." Stan replied. Rigby was confused, he didn't understand.

Then again, it could be worse. He could've killed Rigby already.

_Meanwhile_

Back in the coffee shop, Thomas and Fives slowly regained consciousness, only seconds after they were knocked out accidently by Margaret and Eileen. They're eyes opened slowly, and were greeted by the sight of the two girls. Eileen helped HFG up, while Margaret assisted Thomas. "We thought you died." Thomas hugged the red robin. "Woah…it's good to see you too." Margaret blushed. "It's been so long." Eileen hugged HFG. "I know, it feels like years." The ghost, replied.

"What are you guys doing here?" Margaret asked. "We heard screams, we killed the zombies that were outside, you knocked us out and here we are." Thomas chuckled. "Sorry, we thought you were zombies." Margaret apologized. "Meh, its fine." Thomas shrugged. "Are you two here alone?" Eileen glanced out the window. "No, we have Benson with us." Thomas answered. "Really? Where is he?" Margaret asked. "He's back at our base, we'll go get him. He's in…a bad mood." Thomas explained. "That's an understatement." HFG rolled his eyes. "We'll be back." Thomas walked out with the ghost.

"Now, what was that?" Eileen glanced at Margaret, with a smirk across her face. "What do you mean?" Margaret asked, confused. "Seems you enjoyed that hug more than Thomas did." Eileen chuckled. "Shut up, what about you and Fives?" Margaret smirked playfully. "Stop talking!" Eileen exclaimed. "Wow, you're turning into Rigby." Margaret poked her tongue out. "Speak for yourself girl. You just poked out your tongue." Eileen shrugged. "Whatever." Margaret rolled her eyes.

Back at the house, Thomas and HFG walked through the front door. "Where is he?" Thomas glanced at the ground, the only thing that was there was an empty bottle of whiskey. "You check upstairs, I'll check downstairs." Fives ordered. Thomas nodded and ran upstairs. "Benson?" Thomas called. "Benson!" Thomas could hear HFG downstairs. "Where is he?" Thomas muttered. Suddenly, there was a noise on the roof. "The roof?" Thomas walked over to one of the windows and hang out, facing the roof.

Sure enough, Benson was sitting on the side of the roof. "Benson, what are you doing?" Thomas asked. "Thinking." Benson replied. "Come with us." Thomas ordered. "Is it important?" Benson asked, emotionless. "Yes. We've found Margaret and Eileen." Thomas answered. "The coffee girls? So?" Benson shrugged. "Get down here." Thomas ordered. "Fine." Benson rolled his eyes and slipped back into the top floor. Thomas walked with Benson downstairs and noticed Fives smoking in one of the main rooms.

"Are you serious?" Thomas facepalmed. "You were searching for me and you stopped for a _smoke?!_" Benson began to get angry. "Here we go." Thomas sighed.

_At the same time…_

"Lights out at nine." Ann said, slamming the garage door behind Mordecai and Sean. The two friends turned around and glanced at the room around them. "So much for a _guest room_." Sean rolled his eyes. "What do you expect from a prison?" Mordecai shrugged. "Good point." Sean sighed. Mordecai glanced around the room, there wasn't many people in there. He was happy that not many people had been 'captured', but yet felt sorry for the people that were already here.

But what caught the blue jay's attention, was that two people over in one of the corners of the room were arguing about something. "Not true!" One of them; a Hispanic teenager exclaimed. "Is so!" The other one; a young albino man exclaimed. "Aw screw you! You just aren't as good as me! I could thrash you!" The girl shouted. "Whatever." The guy rolled his eyes and walked off. "Asshole." She muttered.

The guy noticed the blue jay and the wolf and walked over. "I see you're the new prisoners." He commented. "I guess." Mordecai glanced at Sean. "Name's Axel, what's yours?" The guy asked. "I'm Mordecai, this is my kid Sean." Sean smirked after Mordecai finished that sentence. "Hi." Sean greeted. Axel waved at the wolf. "What was that about?" Mordecai glanced at the woman in the corner. "Eh, just a friend of mine. She's an ass but…she's okay I guess." Axel shrugged. "I _can_ hear you, you know." The girl walked over.

"Hi." Mordecai greeted. The girl just waved. "Vivian." She said. "Mordecai." Mordecai replied. "And this is Sean." Mordecai introduced the wolf. "Welcome to Hell." She shrugged. "In there." Ann said, opening the garage door. Stan grabbed Rigby by the shoulders and threw him in. "Argh…" Rigby groaned as he hit the cement. "Rigby!" Mordecai exclaimed, running over to him with Sean. "Hey!" Axel shouted at Stan. "Lights out early tonight, that'll teach ya." Stan slammed the garage door shut. Rigby had bruises all over his stomach.

"What did he do to you?" Mordecai asked, helping his friend to his knees. "He beat me up." Rigby coughed. "Is he one of yours?" Axel asked, pointed to the raccoon. "Yes." Sean answered. "Could you keep it down? _Some_ people are trying to sleep!" Someone shouted, from the back of the room. "Sorry Alpha! We'll be quieter!" Axel shouted.

"I hurt…" Rigby groaned. "I wish we could help." Vivian shrugged. "Same here." Axel sighed. "Here…" Mordecai helped his friend up. "Let's get you to bed." Mordecai picked up the raccoon and carried him over to one of the beds. "Does he do that often?" Axel asked. "You have no idea." Sean crossed his arms. "You seem awfully mature for your age, you're…five?" Vivian guessed. "Seven, turning eight in next year." Sean replied, unfazed.

Axel glanced at Mordecai who nurturing his spouse. "I'm gonna go back over there, get some sleep, I'll be back soon." Mordecai said, quietly. "O…kay…" Rigby groaned. "See you soon." Mordecai stood up and walked back over. "Nice…ring?" Axel glanced at the blue jay's wing. "Thanks." Mordecai replied. "Where'd you get it, it's pretty." Vivian asked. "On my wedding day." Mordecai smiled at them. Sean glanced at Axel, whose face turned to a frown.

Sean knew what Axel was thinking. "I'm sorry for your loss." Axel said. "Loss? What have I lost?" Mordecai was confused. "You're wife?" It was Axel's time to be confused. Vivian had the same though process as Sean. "You've got it all wrong. My partner is over there." Mordecai pointed to the bed Rigby was sleeping on. "Oh! I apologize." Axel coughed. "It's fine." Mordecai chuckled.

"Though…anyway, it's a nice ring." Axel changed the subject. "Once again, thanks." Mordecai smiled. "What the hell did I say?! Lights OUT!" Stan shouted, slamming his hand on the garage door. "Let's go, we don't want Stan breaking out legs or something." Axel yawned. "See you guys later." Vivian walked off with Axel. "Think Stan will wipe their memories, like they did to us?" Vivian asked. "It never works with anyone else, so I think he knows not to do it." Axel shrugged. "Good point. Night." Vivian walked over to a bedroll and laid on it.

"Night." Axel laid on _his_ bedroll, and closed his eyes. At the same time, Mordecai tucked Sean in, on the bed to the left of Rigby. "These blankets feel funny." Sean commented. "It's okay, just don't think about it." Mordecai tucked him in. "Good night Sean." Mordecai began to walk over to _his _bed, which was on the _right_ side of Rigby's. "Night dad." Sean said, softly, before drifting off to sleep. Mordecai turned around, he was delighted. He tip-toed over and kissed and wolf on the forehead. "Goodnight, Son." He said softly. The blue jay walked over to his bed and tucked himself in.

"I'm taking care of the two of you now I guess." Mordecai chuckled, glancing at Rigby, who was in deep sleep. "I don't mind, its fun." Mordecai smiled at him. Mordecai leant over and kissed Rigby on the cheek. "Night, love." Mordecai said, closing his eyes. On the other side of the room, Vivian watched Mordecai. "Cute." She commented. She used her fingers to form the shape of a love heart, with Mordecai, Rigby and Sean's beds in the middle of it. "The perfect family." She said, laying back on her bedroll.

_Meanwhile_

"It's great to see some friendly faces." Benson said, sitting at a table in the coffee shop with HFG, Thomas, Margaret and Eileen. "Same here. We haven't seen anyone else in…forever." Eileen sighed. "It's alright. We're heading up north." Thomas changed the subject. "Really? What's up there?" Margaret asked, curious. "Well, we heard that zombies go slower because of the snow, up north and there's talk of a safe place up there." Thomas explained. "Like California was supposed to be?" Eileen shrugged. "I guess." Benson shrugged.

"Do you know what's going on with Mordecai and Rigby? And how they're doing?" Margaret questioned. "Not a clue. We haven't seen them since the Apocalypse struck." Thomas sighed, sadly. "Hey, it's alright. We'll find them." Margaret reached over and pat Thomas on the head, receiving an odd look from Thomas.

"That…was awkward. Sorry, I won't do that again." Margaret pulled her wing away. Thomas just chuckled. "Where's Skips?" Eileen asked. "Gone." Benson sighed. "How? I mean…I assume that he got eaten." Eileen shrugged. "No…actually, he fell to his death." Benson replied. "Oh! Wow! How did that happen?" Eileen questioned. Benson fell silent. "Was Benson close to Skips?" Margaret whispered to Thomas.

"Like a brother." Thomas answered, quietly. "I apologize for the questions. We're just curious." Eileen glanced at her friend. "This place reminds me of the coffee shop, good times." Thomas looked around the shop. "I know, right?" Margaret chuckled. "Hey, HFG can I have your…help for a second? And I might need your help too, Benson." Eileen stood up, and nodded at Margaret. "Okay…what is it?" HFG followed Eileen with Benson.

"I just need some assistance with the wall, you know, I can't swing a hammer well." Eileen lied. "Oh, alright." Benson shrugged.

Thomas and Margaret sat opposite each other in awkward silence. "I miss, this." Thomas said, quietly. "Me too." Margaret sighed. "Just…being able to talk to someone…friendly, and well…nice…is just a great feeling." Thomas smiled at the robin. "Thanks Thomas, that means a lot." Margaret returned the smile by giving him one of his own.

"I can't believe we were in the same town." Thomas's smile turned into a frown. "I know right? It's crazy." Margaret laughed sarcastically. "You guys really haven't seen Mordecai or Rigby?" Margaret continued to ask. "No." Thomas plainly answered. "Sorry." Margaret sighed. Suddenly, Margaret remembered something, something which made her happy mood drift into a depressed mood.

"What about CJ?" She spoke up. Thomas was shocked, he hadn't seen her since the Apocalypse. "I…I don't know…" Thomas's tone changed. "Sorry for asking." Margaret apologized. "It's fine…I…just don't think she made it." Thomas pulled out his phone. "Look." Thomas showed Margaret his phone, it has texts written on it.

Margaret began to read. "Where are you?" She read the first one. "Call me." She continued. "Something's wrong, my friends are all…sick. Thomas? Please answer!" CJ seemed more distressed. "THOMAS!" Margaret read her last text message in her head. Thomas shed a tear. "I'm so sorry. I'm sure she made it out though." Margaret handed over his phone. "I miss her." Thomas sighed. "I'm sure she misses you too." Margaret replied, in a more cheerful tone. "What do you mean? She's dead Marg." Thomas sighed.

"How do you know that? She could've got out? It _is_ possible after all." Margaret shrugged. "I guess…but…I really don't feel anything for her anymore." Thomas replied. Margaret was taken aback by this answer. "But Thomas, she's your girlfriend. She's _been_ your girlfriend since Benson was fired. That sounded terrible." Margaret chuckled a bit. "I guess." Thomas's voice grew quieter. "I'm sorry." Margaret watched Thomas stand up and she stood up herself. "Want a hug?" She asked, awkwardly.

"Yeah…yeah I do." Thomas relented. Margaret reached over and hugged Thomas to give him comfort. "Thanks, Marg." Thomas sighed. "Any time." Margaret pulled away and smiled at her.  
"It's dark outside, we should probably turn in." Eileen said, walking back over with Benson and HFG. "I stubbed my damn thumb with that hammer!" Benson exclaimed, sucking his thumb.

"Ha, Ha." Margaret laughed a little. "Very funny." Benson rolled his eyes and walked with Eileen and HFG over to one of the rooms. "We managed to find some sleeping bags during our last raid, here." Eileen handed sleeping bags to Benson and HFG.

Thomas looked confused. "Where's mine?" He asked. "Sorry Thomas, none left. You'll have to share." Eileen shrugged. Thomas and Margaret glanced at each other. "I'll just sleep on the floor…on the cold…hard…floor…oh nevermind." Thomas sighed. "Let's go?" Margaret watched Thomas walk over to Margaret's bedroll. Margaret glanced over at the Mole, confused. "What was that?" She asked. Eileen held up an extra bedroll. "Want it?" Eileen chuckled. "Oh shut up. Jesus you act like Rigby." Margaret walked back over to her bedroll.

"Night." Margaret said quietly, lying beside Thomas, though facing the opposite way as him. "Thanks for everything." Thomas said quietly, falling asleep. "No problem Thomas…" Margaret smiled. Then she realised something.

She was in love with Thomas.

**There it is, the end of this chapter!**

**Welcome back everyone! Great to see you again! I absolutely HATED CJ until I watched 'Real Date'. **

**My opinion has completely changed over her and now…since she's so cool, I'm adding her in. Not as a character, but as a character that is mentioned.**

**She may become a real character, who knows? As Thomas said;**

"**She's dead."**

**Also! This chapter has brought new people in! And new personalities!**

**Margaret has a crush on Thomas, while Eileen is trying to help her out.**

**Also another possible relationship between HFG and Eileen, we'll see.**

**AXEL and VIVIAN belong to KevEddFan808! Though while they're in this story, aspects of them will change.**

**Thanks for reading everyone, here's a little preview of the next chapter;**

"_**When I'm finished with Mordecai, I'll ask you to come up." Stan said, glancing at Sean, who had a worried look on his face. He watched Rigby walk back into the courtyard, his face looked bland, like he had no emotion. "Rigby! What are you doing?" Sean asked. "Going back to work." Rigby said softly, as he watched Mordecai walk with Stan to his office.**_

**See you in the next chapter!**

**RSM**


	8. Episode Eight: First Day

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Two: In Plain Sight**

**Episode Two: First Day**

**11****th**** of March, 2024, Morning**

**Day 237**

The next morning, Mordecai, Rigby and Sean, accompanied by Vivian and Axel, were in the courtyard. "Where's Alpha?" Axel asked, turning to face the supermarket. "He's doing jobs for Ann." Vivian whispered back. Axel nodded and faced the front, where Stan was talking. "The horde of zombies seems to have moved further south, away from here. But that doesn't mean we don't stop working. Rigby, I need you to come with me." Stan glanced at the raccoon. "Why?" Rigby asked. "Just come." Stan rolled his eyes. "But what if he hurts you again?" Mordecai grabbed Rigby's shoulder, stopping him.

"I…I'll be fine." Rigby pulled Mordecai's wing off his shoulder his shoulder and glanced at the blue jay's worried face. Mordecai nodded and watched Rigby walk away. "Stay safe." Sean watched the raccoon follow Stan to his office.

"Same as last time." Stan said, sitting on his chair. "You're not gonna beat me up now, are you?" Rigby asked, scared. "No." Stan replied. "I've called you up here, to reason with you. To explain why you must stay here." Stan said, sternly. "Oh?" Rigby watched Stan get up. "Let's see…how do I begin…?" Stan began to pace.

_One hour later_

"What's taking him so long!?" Mordecai had his head in his knees. "Come on, he'll be fine." Sean comforted his friend. "What if he's being hurt up there!?" Mordecai exclaimed. "I'm sure he's okay…just calm down." Sean sighed. "Sorry Sean…this is too much for a kid to handle…I'm putting too much on you." Mordecai glanced at the wolf. "No…I don't mind doing this. I used to do this for my dad all the time, when he fought with mom." Sean argued. Suddenly, the garage door opened and a familiar raccoon walked in.

"Rigby! There you are." Mordecai ran over to his friend. "Back off weird…bird thing. Anyway, Stan wants to see you." Rigby barged past the blue jay. "What?" Mordecai was confused. "Mordecai." Stan stood at the garage door. Mordecai glanced at his friend, who had just walked past Axel and Vivian. "It worked?" Vivian was surprised. "Dunno, it's never worked before." Axel shrugged. "Mordecai." Stan said, louder. Mordecai sighed and followed Stan up to his office. Sean glanced at Rigby, who had a blank expression on his face.

_Meanwhile_

Margaret's eyes slowly opened, she was greeted by the sight of Thomas, who was facing her. Thomas was in deep sleep. Margaret savoured the moment of being this close to the goat, even though she had feelings that this was wrong. She slowly backed off a little and stood up. She noticed that Eileen, HFG and Benson weren't on their bedrolls. Margaret yawned and walked out into the main room. "Morning." Eileen greeted, as she walked in. "Where's Benson and HFG?" Margaret asked, walking over to Eileen, who was sitting at one of the tables.

"They're supply hunting. They were originally going to take Thomas along with them, but they decided to leave you two _alone_." Eileen grinned. "Shut up." Margaret rolled her eyes. "What is with you, Eileen? It's as if you think Thomas and I are in love." Margaret asked. "Who's in love?" Thomas walked in, yawning as he entered. "Oh…no one." Margaret said, glaring at Eileen. Suddenly, Benson and HFG burst through the door of the coffee shop, breaking the barricade. "I just fixed that!" Eileen shouted, as they entered. "Help!" Benson exclaimed, carrying a shitload of supplies in his hands. Thomas and Margaret ran over and held the door shut, while Eileen helped HFG and Benson away from the door.

"Hold the door!" Margaret grabbed a nearby chair and barred it against the door, keeping it closed. "Phew." She sighed. "Nice." Thomas complimented her. "Aw, no problem." Margaret blushed a little. "What'd you get?" Eileen asked, glancing at the stack of supplies that Benson had brought in. "We raided the grocery store. We managed to get a lot of stuff." Benson answered. "Good." Eileen glanced over at Thomas and Margaret, who were staring at each other. "There they go again." Eileen chuckled. "Come on over here and help us pack our new supplies, Thomas!" Benson exclaimed, breaking Thomas out of his trance. "Oh, sorry, sir." Thomas ran over to help. Margaret followed him shortly after.

_At the same time_

Sean was hiding, he had a bad feeling that Stan was doing something to Mordecai, as he hid. Sean hid behind one of the trash cans, as Mordecai walked back in. "Thanks." Stan glanced over at Sean. "Think we should bother?" Stan asked. "He's just a kid, don't waste the time." Ann convinced Stan. Stan nodded and shut the garage door.

"Mordecai?" Sean walked over to the blue jay. "Hi." He greeted. "So you _do_ remember?" Sean questioned. "Remember what?" Mordecai was confused. "Everything?" Sean furrowed a brow. "Whatever, kid." Mordecai rolled his eyes and walked away. "Damn it." Sean silently swore. "Hey kid, you alright?" Vivian approached the wolf. "What's wrong with them? It's as if they don't remember." Sean sighed. "I don't know. We think Stan has…brainwashed your friends into believing that this is their home." Vivian explained.

"How would they do that?" Sean asked. "We're…not sure, we've been here for so long that we don't remember. But Stan has tried to do this to all of us. Me, my friend; Axel and Alpha." Vivian pointed to another table. "What can I do?" Sean asked, glancing at Alpha, who was sitting alone. "I don't know…" Vivian sighed. "Vivian! Come here for a second!" Axel shouted. "What do you want!?" Vivian walked over to him.

Sean walked over to Alpha, who was sitting nearby. "You…you look like me." Sean commented, standing in front of Alpha. "Excuse me?" Alpha seemed confused. "You're a wolf, too." Sean commented. "I guess." Alpha furrowed a brow. "What's your name?" Alpha asked. "Sean." Sean answered. "Nice to meet you, Sean." Alpha smiled at him. "You can't be here alone, where's your mom and dad?" Sean asked. "Well, they're dead." Sean shrugged. "Oh sorry." Alpha sighed. "But I guess in a weird way, Mordecai is my father and Rigby is my mother, I guess." Sean shrugged. "Oh yeah, co…wait, Mordecai and Rigby?" Alpha was shocked. "Yeah, my friends, over there." Sean pointed to Mordecai first, then to Rigby.

"Wow! I haven't seen them since we were kids!" Alpha exclaimed. "How did you guys meet?" Sean asked, sitting beside Alpha. "Well, originally, my brother…Omega, moved to Twin Peaks – where Mordecai and Rigby are from – but then Omega…Omega had a problem, okay? Sometimes he…would freak out and get people hurt…I remember the time he had that problem, and almost killed your friends...I'm not gonna start from the beginning, so I'll start further into it." Alpha began. "So…about…fourteen years ago, my brother went completely insane and kidnapped Rigby." Alpha continued.

"What?" Sean was confused. "Urgh, just pay attention…" Alpha sighed.

**A/N: I know this is a dumb idea, but this is also for people who don't know who some of these characters are. Sorry guys.**

_14 Years Earlier, in Twin Peak's Industrial District_

"Omega!" A voice shouted, running into the factory. "Oh, here he is…" Omega chuckled. "Omega! Stop this at once! What has gotten into you!?" Alpha shouted. "Rigby! Where are you!?" Mordecai shouted. "Rigby, take care of the tall one, I'll take care of my brother…" Omega ordered. Rigby nodded and jumped down from the platform they were standing on and tackled Mordecai. Mordecai screamed in pain, his arm broke from the impact.

"Mordecai?" Alpha asked, before Omega tackled him. "Rigby! Stop! Please, it's us!" Mordecai pleaded. This time, Rigby didn't stop. "What do we do with them?" Rigby asked. "We'll take them into that room over there." Omega ordered. Rigby nodded and dragged Mordecai to the room indicated by Omega, with Omega dragging Alpha behind him.

"Let us go!" Alpha ordered. "No." Omega said, throwing Alpha against the hard stone wall of the factory. "What are you doing this for…?" Mordecai asked. Rigby suddenly threw Mordecai against the hard stone wall, with Mordecai collapsing beside Alpha. Suddenly, Rigby groaned in pain. "Rigby…? What's the matter?" Omega asked. "I…dunno…ARGH!" Rigby shouted, clutching his right arm in pain, the gash on his arm was closing so there was no hole in the skin. "Oh no…" Omega began. "No. NO!" Omega shouted, punching Rigby over.

"What's going on?" Mordecai asked. "His arm is the source of the issue! Omega's losing the control over Rigby, it isn't the eye-contact, it's the- Rigby wears contacts, and it was the arm that was the way he was controlled, not the eyes." Riley interrupted Alpha, walking into the room with Alpha and Omega's father and Ben. "NO! YOU STOLE MY THUNDER!" Alpha cried. "How did you all get here!?" Omega shouted. "Enough is enough Omega…I think it's time you calmed down…" His father tried to calm him down.

"Son of a bitch…" Omega growled. Ben, Riley and the father backed off at the sudden outburst. Suddenly, Omega grabbed Rigby and ran off. "Rigby!" Mordecai shouted, getting up and chasing after Omega. "We gotta catch him before he does something to Rigby!" Riley exclaimed, running after Omega with Mordecai, trying to assist in catching him. Mordecai and Riley chased Omega out of the factory and out to the front of the factory, with Rigby still in Omega's arms. "Let me go you crazy bastard!" Rigby ordered. "No! I need your help with this!" Omega shouted. "Help me!" Rigby shouted.

_Present time…_

"What happened next?" Sean asked, intrigued. "Mordecai managed to find Rigby, after a long two day search. After all of that, my brother moved back to my home town of Elmore, and we never returned to Twin Peaks again." Alpha finished. "Yeah, I heard that back before the apocalypse, they called it the 'Unlucky Town'." Sean chuckled.

Alpha chuckled a little. "So what happened to your brother?" Sean questioned. "He…he's gone." Alpha sighed. "I'm sorry." Sean sighed. "It's fine. You didn't know." Alpha reassured the kid. "How long have you been here?" Sean asked. "Dunno, what is it now? Three, four months?" Alpha sighed. "Have you ever thought about escaping?" Sean questioned. "Yes, we all have. But Stan won't let us, and now that Mordecai and Rigby seem to have been brainwashed, they're on Stan's side now." Alpha and Sean glanced over at Mordecai and Rigby, who were talking.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Sean shrugged. "Dunno." Alpha shook his head. "Wait a second, how come you're not brainwashed?" Sean asked. "We don't know. But Vivian, Axel and I are definitely not any of them." Alpha assured the kid. Sean nodded.

Suddenly, the garage door opened and Stan walked in with Ann and two other armed people. "Alright, it's around noon and Ann and I have been talking. Since…everything has been sorted out." Stan glanced at Mordecai and Rigby, who were walking up to him. "I need…Mordecai, Rigby…Axel and Alpha to come with me, now." Stan ordered. "What for?" Axel asked. "Just come!" One of Stan's men shouted. Alpha glanced at Sean. "I'll be back, Sean. Just stay with Vivian. She'll take care of you." Alpha stood up and walked over to Mordecai, Rigby and Axel were standing. "Come with us." Stan walked into the supermarket. Axel and Alpha walked together and followed Mordecai and Rigby.

"They got brainwashed." Axel whispered to the smaller wolf. "I know." Alpha sighed. "I feel sorry for the kid." Axel replied. "Same here." Alpha sighed. "After we're done with whatever Stan wants us to do, I want to talk to you, in private." Axel said. Alpha nodded wearily. Rigby suddenly turned around. "Eh?" He said, with a blank expression on his face. "We weren't talking to you." Alpha glanced at him. "Alright then." Rigby faced the front.

Alpha and Axel glanced at each other and followed Stan into the parking lot with Mordecai and Rigby. "Okay, we're running low on supplies and we need people to go down to town to collect some." Stan ordered. "We're going to town? But it's infected!" Alpha exclaimed. "It's okay, if we lose you guys we can just get some more." Stan shrugged. "Damn it." Alpha silently cursed.

"We can't go to town today." Axel spoke up. "Why not?" Mordecai turned around, facing him. "Because we're all exhausted, and it's raining." Axel glanced at the sky. Suddenly, it began to rain. "What the?" Ann was astonished. "Fine! We'll raid the town tomorrow." Rigby growled. "Okay…fine. Go back inside. You better be up early." Stan walked back into the supermarket. Ann and a couple of Stan's men led the four men back in.

"They're back?" Sean noted. "That was quick." Vivian stood up and approached Axel. "See you tomorrow morning." Stan shut the garage door.

"We're raiding the town for supplies tomorrow." Axel said. "That's dangerous! You could die!" Vivian exclaimed. "Its fine, I won't." Axel reassured her.

"What about Mordecai and Rigby?" Sean asked. "What do you mean?" Axel asked. "Can we do anything to un-brainwash them?" Sean asked. "Don't know, let's just see what happens tomorrow." Axel shrugged.

"Damn it! I can't wait that long!" Sean exclaimed. "Sean, come on." Alpha sighed. "Out of my way!" Sean pushed his way through Alpha and Axel and walked over to Rigby, who was talking to himself.

"He's right, I can only help myself by helping him…or is it the other way around?" Rigby spoke to himself, obviously confused. "Rigby?" Sean approached the raccoon. "What do you want, kid?" Rigby asked, quietly. "Rigby! It's me, Sean!" Sean exclaimed. "I…" Rigby muttered. "Don't you remember me?" Sean asked, tearing up. Rigby kept quiet. "We need to get out of here, to get _everyone_ out of here!" Sean shouted. "Damn it! Keep your voice down." Rigby calmed his friend down.

"What happened with Stan? What did he do to you? Please…tell me." Sean was crying. "Don't cry, kid." Rigby reached out his hand. "You don't even know me!" Sean shouted. "Kid! Shut up, you're gonna get us into trouble!" Rigby exclaimed. "For shouting? What're they gonna do?" Sean crossed his arms. "Please tell me that you know me. Please." Sean begged. "I don't know you, kid. I'm sorry." Rigby sighed.

"Do you even know who you are?" Sean asked, wiping some tears from his face. "Yeah…I'm…I'm Rigby." Rigby answered. "That's because I called your name." Sean growled. "I just don't know you, now go away." Rigby turned around. "ARGH! I'm gonna kill you!" Sean grabbed Rigby's neck and began strangling him. Axel ran over and pried Sean from Rigby's neck. "This kid is crazy!" Rigby shouted, glancing at Mordecai, who was watching from a distance. "I'm going to kill you!" Sean shouted. "What the hell's going on in here?" Stan shouted. "Nothing! We've got it under control!" Alpha shouted, keeping Sean still.

Stan walked off. After a few seconds, Sean calmed down and Alpha let go of him. Sean just burst into tears. "They don't remember me…" Sean cried. "It's okay…" Vivian sighed. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out, I promise." Axel pat Sean on the back. "Something tells me that tomorrow's gonna be different, I'm not sure what it is, but something's gonna change." Alpha reassured Sean. "I hope you're right, I just want their memories back, and I miss being loved by Mordecai and Rigby." Sean cried. "They seem like great parents." Axel commented. "The best." Sean sighed.

_Meanwhile_

"Wow, we didn't get as much as we thought we did." Benson sighed. "Yeah, all you got was a few litres of water, a carton of milk and like…" Thomas is counting the supplies. "About seven litres of soft drink and…Oooh! A doctor pepper!" Thomas exclaimed, pulling out a Dr Pepper can out of the bag.

Thomas opened the can and skulled it. "But we did get a fair amount of food." HFG shrugged. "Mind handing me a Dr Pepper?" Margaret asked. "Sorry, there was only one." Thomas sighed. "Any left in the can?" Margaret asked. "Nope I skulled it, unless you want some?" Thomas opened his mouth. Margaret groaned in disgust while Thomas laughed.

"You're disgusting." Eileen commented. "As if nobody didn't know that." Thomas chuckled. "What's that smell?" HFG asked. There was a foul smell filling the coffee shop. "It smells like death." Thomas pinched his nose. "Benson, it's coming from you." Eileen glanced at the gumball machine. "I'm sure it's nothing. Just spoiled gumballs, I guess." Benson chuckled nervously. "Ewww." Eileen groaned. "Something's not right." Margaret furrowed a brow.

Thomas glanced at Benson for a second, he noticed something on Benson's arm.

"Benson, you've been bitten!"

**Cliff-hanger? As if I didn't do enough of them. Sorry for the short chapter, I've got major writer's block and I've got a lack of ideas, sorry guys.**

**Alpha belongs to AeroAlpha, and not me.**

**Go ahead and vote on my poll on my profile, it might influence what happens at the end of this season. (That's what the poll is about).**

**I love all you people. :3**

**RSM**


	9. Episode Nine: Important Decisions

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Two: In Plain Sight**

**Episode Three: Important Decisions**

**11****th**** of March, 2024, Evening**

**Day 237**

"What?" Benson seemed confused. "Dude, you've been bitten." Fives commented. "Where?" Benson asked. "It's right there." Thomas pointed at Benson's arm. "I'm sure it's nothing." Benson crossed his arms. "Face it dumbass, you've been bitten. Now you're gonna die." Fives shrugged. "Harsh." Margaret glanced at the ghost. "I can't die, I haven't got any skin." Benson crossed his arms. "Dude, anything alive or dead is gonna end up dead if they're bit. Except me." Fives explained. "And why is that?" Benson asked. "Dude, I'm a ghost." Fives rolled his eyes.

"So, I'm gonna die?" Benson asked. "Do you feel anything? Like…anything weird?" Eileen questioned. "I do feel a little sick." Benson answered. "When did you even get bit?" Thomas asked. "Dunno, I don't remember being bitten." Benson shrugged. "How can you not remember being bitten?" Margaret rolled her eyes. Benson just face-palmed.

"You guys remember Skips, right?" Benson spoke up, his voice cracking a bit. "Yeah, he was a cool dude." Thomas sighed. "He was a great guy, he was a hero throughout life and died a hero. And that's how I tend to die." Benson sighed. Margaret and Eileen exchanged worried looks. "I'm gonna go get us some supplies…then…I'll see what else I can do…" Benson sighed. Thomas glanced at Benson. "He's a goner." He sighed.

_The next day_

**Day 238, Early Morning**

"Let's make this short and simple. Go into town and scavenge as many supplies as you can. When you're finished, bring them back here." Stan said, glancing at Mordecai and Rigby, who were standing in front of Alpha and Axel. "Do we get weapons?" Alpha asked. "Yes." Stan handed over a pistol to Mordecai and a baseball bat to Rigby. "Now get going." Stan said. "What about us?" Axel asked. "Go." Stan ordered. Mordecai and Rigby walked away from the camp, with Axel and Alpha following them. "And don't even think about trying to escape, we'll kill you." Mordecai threatened.

Alpha and Axel glanced at each other, with scared looks on they're faces. "Wait up!" Sean shouted, running after them. "What're you doing here?" Alpha asked. "I thought I'd tag along." Sean said, loudly, so Mordecai and Rigby heard. "Actually, I wanted to help you guys bring back their memories." Sean whispered. "They'll shoot us if we try anything." Axel whispered back. "Maybe we can jog their memory by showing them something they remember? I dunno." Alpha shrugged.

"I got nothing." Sean sighed. "I guess we'll see what happens. We'll try something when we get back." Axel nodded. "Are by any chance you two related?" Axel asked. "What?" Sean and Alpha replied. "Just curious, because you're both wolves." Axel shrugged. "No, we're not related." Alpha answered. Axel nodded.

A few minutes later, the five men arrived in town. "There's a boarded up shop over there." Mordecai noted. "You go check it out." Rigby turned to Axel and Alpha. "You're not our boss." Alpha shook his head. Rigby raised his baseball bat. "Fine! We're going!" Alpha shouted. Alpha walked with Axel and Sean to the boarded up shop. "Think there's people in there?" Sean asked, peering through the boards. "Dunno." Alpha shrugged.

Axel started knocking on the glass door. "Hello!?" Axel shouted. "Hey! Shut up." Mordecai and Rigby walked over. Rigby smashed through the door with the baseball bat and walked inside.

_At the same time_

The sound of glass breaking and shattering echoed in the coffee shop. "What was that?" Margaret asked, glancing at the door. "People are coming in!" Thomas whispered. "Hide." Margaret hid behind one of the tables, with HFG, Eileen and Thomas. "Think there's anyone in here?" A voice was heard. Suddenly, a raccoon walked in. "Search the place." He said, in a deeper voice. "But what if there are people in there?" Mordecai asked. "Just do it." The raccoon exclaimed.

Thomas glanced over the desk and gasped. "It's Mordecai and Rigby!" He shouted. "No!" Fives exclaimed. "I see you there. Come out." Mordecai held the pistol and aimed it at Thomas. "Woah! It's us!" Thomas stood up and put his hands up.

Margaret, Eileen and Fives stood up. "Don't you remember us?" Margaret glanced at Mordecai. "Alpha, Axel and the kid. Tie them up." Mordecai ordered. "No come on man, these are people." Axel argued. "Damn it, Rigby. You do it." Mordecai glanced down at the raccoon. "Rigby?" Sean glanced at the raccoon. "I…I think I know these people…" Rigby stuttered. Sean glanced at Axel and Alpha.

"Rigby, it's us." Thomas lowered his hands. "I…" Rigby lowered the baseball bat. "Let's just leave these people, killing them would be inhumane." Axel said. "Fine! Just stay out of our way." Mordecai lowered his gun and walked out. "Wait!" Margaret shouted. "Stay here." Mordecai ordered. The robin nodded as she watched her former love interest disappear outside. "We're not coming back, so don't worry." Axel said, walking out. Sean and Alpha glanced at Rigby, who was still staring at them.

"Let's go." Sean brought Rigby outside, followed by Alpha. "What…?" Margaret was confused.

_Later that day_

Rigby was sitting by himself in the prison, thinking about the encounter in town. Sean walked up to him. "Rigby." He said his name. "Go away, kid. I gotta think." Rigby sighed. "Listen to me! My name is Sean, I am a kid who you're taking care of. My father was your best friend since you left Twin Peaks and moved to New York, you were also kidnapped when you were a kid and tortured. That's why there's a scar on your tail." Sean breathed in, after finishing his speech.

Rigby grasped his head. The memories were all coming back. "I…I'm not convinced." Rigby groaned. Sean rolled his eyes and held up Rigby's paw. "You got this at your wedding." Sean showed Rigby his light blue ring. Rigby groaned. He was quiet for a few minutes. "Rigby?" Sean tapped his shoulder. "What, Sean?" Rigby raised his head. "You're back!" Sean laughed and hugged the raccoon. "What happened?" Rigby asked. "You were brainwashed! And so was Mordecai." Sean replied.

"This is crazy…how did you un-brainwash me?" Rigby held his head. "I just reminded you who you are. Anyway, we need to get out of here." Sean said, glancing at Axel and Vivian, who were talking with Alpha. Sean made a 'thumbs up' sign at them and they approached. "Did you do it?" Alpha asked. "Yes, look." Sean pointed over to the dazed raccoon.

"Long time no see, friend." Alpha smiled at Rigby. "Alpha…? It's been so long…" Rigby stood up and hugged the wolf. "I know." Alpha broke the hug. "I feel…weird." Rigby sighed. "It takes a while for it to wear off." Vivian explained. "You've been through this?" Rigby asked. "No, but I've seen it before." Vivian answered.

"What about Mordecai?" Rigby asked, glancing at the blue jay. "We've tried everything, he just won't listen to us." Alpha sighed. "Damn." Rigby groaned. "_Though_ we did see a few good friends in town." Sean smirked. "Really? Who?" Rigby asked. "Guess." Sean crossed his arms. Rigby thought for a second, then shook his head in confusion. "Margaret, Eileen, Fives and Thomas." Sean smirked. "They're all alive? Great!" Rigby exclaimed. "We managed to talk to them about a plan to get out of here. But…" Axel turned to Sean. "What?" Sean asked.

"One…one of your friends didn't make it." Axel sighed. "What…? Who?" Rigby asked. "There was someone called Benson…he…he was dead when we got there." Alpha sighed. "Damn it…" Rigby sighed. "Sorry Rigby." Sean comforted the raccoon.

_2 Hours Later_

"Damn it! They barely got anything!" Stan shouted, slamming his desk. One of his female companions was sitting opposite of him. "I don't understand why…but…isn't this a little inhumane? Controlling people to do your own commands?" The woman asked. "Only if they don't have a valid reason, which _I do._" Stan glared at her.

"Look Stan, I know you're trying to build a safe community here, but this place is like a prison. We should really consider letting them go and see how they fare." She suggested. "I'm doing this to protect us! If we didn't have prisoners looting town for supplies, we'd all be dead!" Stan exclaimed. "Why don't you go?" She asked, softly. "Because I'm the leader of this community and I have to be here at all times." Stan replied. "You think these…things will escape at some point? Some of the people are talking about an escape…and…they're supposed to be on your side, sir." The girl said, calmly.

"Thanks for warning me, after last time, we've had to keep an eye on Vivian and Axel." Stan said, a little less calm. "Sir, I…why don't we just let them go? Seriously, this is the apocalypse, these people don't want to be imprisoned." The girl commented. "Don't they want to be safe?" Stan asked.

"They want to be safe in their own way, not our way." The woman said, sternly. "For god sake Michelle, I've had enough of this! How many times do you come in here, talking about letting them go!? I always give you the same answer; no." Stan said, getting annoyed. "I make a valid point, sir." She crossed her arms. "Too bad Michelle, I've always…well…" Stan stood up, picking up a small suppressed pistol that was lying beside the intercom and slowly walked over to her. "…I've always hated talking to you, yet…I'll miss you." Stan placed the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.

"No room for weakness." Stan said, picking up Michelle's body and moving it over to the corner of the room. "Those things wouldn't have the balls to escape." Stan chuckled, wiping blood off of his hands. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching the office. "Shit." Stan cursed.

_15 Minutes earlier_

"We need to have someone to help us." Sean said, quietly. "Wait…what about that girl? What's her name…?" Rigby said. "Ann?" Axel finished his sentence. "Yeah! Her, I've seen her sympathise with us before we even got in here." Rigby replied. "You sure you wanna risk dying for us?" Vivian asked, worried. "Yeah, I won't be missed." Rigby shrugged. "Don't say that." Sean shook his head. "Sorry." Rigby apologized. Rigby stood up, glanced over at Mordecai, who was sitting alone and walked over to the garage door. He pulled out a screwdriver that he'd found in town earlier and lodged it beneath the garage door. He pulled open the garage door with all of his might and used the screwdriver to hold it up. Rigby had made an opening beneath the garage door and slipped under.

"Good luck." Alpha mouthed. Rigby snuck behind a few crates, out of anyone's view and searched for Ann. Sure enough, after a few minutes Rigby saw Ann sitting in a room, talking to herself, she was unarmed. Rigby slowly walked over to the room and creaked the door open. This startled Ann. "Hey! What're you…" Ann said, before Rigby held her mouth shut. "Now…when I release your mouth, you're not gonna call for help." Rigby said, watching her nod. Rigby let go. "Why are you out of your space?" Ann asked, calmly.

"I came to talk to you." Rigby answered. "Why? What do you want?" Ann asked, intrigued. "I know I was brainwashed, I have a few questions for you." Rigby said, sternly. "Okay…" Ann replied, nervously. "What's his method?" Rigby asked. "His methods are his own, I'm not sure what they are." Ann replied. "Okay…are you trustworthy?" Rigby asked. "Um…yeah. Why?" Ann asked, intrigued.

"My friends and I need your help. We're gonna escape." Rigby answered. "You can't! Stan will kill you." Ann exclaimed. "Voice down." Rigby calmed her down. "He won't…if he was distracted, or even…dead." Rigby glared at her. "I understand you need to escape…but what can I do?" Ann asked. "Help us…and you can come with us." Rigby said, outstretching his hand. "You know, If I get caught doing this for you, Stan will kill me." Ann warned.

"He won't find out. I promise." Rigby nodded. Ann sighed. "I better not regret this." She shook the raccoon's hand.

"There's only one thing that's stopping us from escaping." Rigby said, glancing at the door. "What's that?" Ann asked, following Rigby's gaze. "Mordecai." Rigby answered. "That bird?" Ann questioned. "Yes, any idea how we can bring him back?" Rigby asked. "I'm not sure…you might have to leave without him." Ann shrugged.

"We can't…he's my best friend…and…partner." Rigby held up his paw, showing his ring. "Oh…well…we'll figure something out." Ann nodded. "I'm gonna head back, please let me know when you have any ideas." Rigby said. "They're people outside, let me bring you back." Ann said, grabbing the raccoon's hand. "Let's go." She said, leading him out into the supermarket's main area.

"What's this?" Someone asked, approaching. "Prisoner escaped, bring him back to his room." Ann replied, in a harsh tone. "Okay, carry on." The guy said, watching Ann take Rigby back to the room.

"Good luck." She said, as she opened the garage door, letting him back in. "I'll keep you posted." She said, glancing at Stan's office. Suddenly, something caught her eye, there was blood on the window. Ann closed the garage door and ran up to Stan's office.

"So?" Axel asked, approaching Rigby. "She's in." Rigby said, confidently. "Nice." Vivian congratulated the raccoon. "Where'd she go?" Axel asked. "Not sure." Rigby replied, glancing through a hole in the garage door.

Ann ran up to Stan's office, unsure of why there was blood on the window. She burst into his office. "Stan? Are you…alright?" Ann glanced at Stan, who was wiping the blood off the window. "What did you do?" Ann asked. "I hit my head on the window…" Stan lied. "You're lying." Ann said, glancing at the window. "What? Why would you think that?" Stan asked. "You would've broken the window if you hit your head on it. You _do_ know that these windows are like…plastic glass right?" Ann felt the window.

"Well…um…" Stan watched Ann. Ann walked over to one of the corners. She noticed the body. "Michelle! Oh my god, no!" Ann recognised the body. Ann turned around and noticed the gun in Stan's hand. "You…you killed her Stan…how could you?" Ann asked, her eyes filled with grief. "We can't live in a community with weak people. It makes _us_ weak, and when it makes us weak, it makes other people weak, and so on." Stan explained. "This…this…" Ann cried. "I'm gonna get back to work." Ann glared at Stan, who was already regretting his actions.

Stan watched Ann leave the office and sighed. He dropped the gun. "Damn it Josh…you make me do these things…" Stan said, glancing at a picture that was on his desk. He sat at his desk, lying his head atop of it.

Ann walked as calmly as she could over to the garage door and pulled it open. "What the?" Rigby glanced at the door, as it opened suddenly. Ann walked in and shut it behind her. "We need to get out of here, Stan's gone insane. He just killed my best friend." Ann said, running over to Rigby. "Calm down…" Rigby held her. "We need to get out of here, before anyone else gets killed." Ann glanced at the raccoon.

"So, you weren't lying." Vivian walked over with Alpha and Axel. "I'm not in the habit of lying." Rigby glared at her. "How are we going to escape?" Axel asked. "But wait…we can't, he'll, wait. Where's Mordecai?" Rigby looked around the room. "He's gone!" Axel exclaimed.

"We'll find him, but we're leaving tonight. When the sun goes down." Ann said, serious. "We're with you." Axel nodded. "We all are." Vivian and Sean said, at the same time. Sean, Axel, Alpha and Vivian glanced at Rigby, who had to make a tough decision. "So…we either leave tonight…without Mordecai, or risking our lives to bring him with us?" Rigby asked. Sean glanced at the ground, he felt sorry for Rigby.

"It's your call." Ann looked at Rigby, who was in deep thought.

**A/N; I can't believe I'm gonna do this…**

**Make your choice;**

**Leave without Mordecai or Stay and Search for Mordecai**

**Stay and search for Mordecai**

"We can't leave without him." Rigby said, softly. "What can we do?" Ann asked, calmly. "We have to try to convince him that we're his friends, not his enemies." Rigby said. "And how do we do that?" Ann asked.

"I…I'm not sure, we'll figure something out…"

**Leave Without Mordecai**

"We…it pains me to say it…but we have to leave without him, we'll die otherwise." Rigby cried. "We'll come back for him." Ann comforted the raccoon. "What's the plan to escape?" Alpha asked, calmly. "Not sure, I guess we'll figure something out, but for now, let's get some rest, we're leaving tonight." Rigby sighed.

**I can't believe I just did a 'choose your own ending'. Oh whatever, something different I guess. See you in the next chapter!**

**Also, vote in the poll at my profile! It may just influence and ending of Season Two!**

**Sorry for it being so late! Major writer's block and stress got the better of me, please forgive me. But today, I just felt like typing, so here I am! See you guys soon.**

**RSM**


	10. Episode Ten: Escaping

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Two: In Plain Sight**

**Episode Four: Escaping**

**12****th**** of March, 2024, Early Evening**

**Day 238**

**If you chose 'Stay to find Mordecai', don't read the following part.**

"I've managed to convince Stan to let me watch over you tonight." Ann said, on the other side of the closed garage door. "Good." Alpha nodded. "How's Rigby?" Ann asked. "He's going along with the plan, but he isn't happy about it." Alpha replied, glancing over at the raccoon. "If I was in his shoes, I'd be sad too. Leaving someone that important behind." Ann sighed. "I know." Alpha shook his head. "Ann! Where are you? I need your help!" Stan shouted. "Coming." Ann replied. "I gotta go, I'll be back soon to help you guys." Ann said, running off.

"You ready?" Alpha asked, walking over to Rigby. "As ready as I'll ever be." Rigby sighed. "It's alright, we'll come back for him. Ann said we would." Alpha pat Rigby on the back. "I know, I just wish we could get him out now. I mean…we couldn't go search for him could we?" Rigby asked. "No, it would be too risky." Alpha shook his head. "Damn it." Rigby sighed.

**If you chose 'Leave without Mordecai', don't read the following part.**

"I've searched everywhere for him Rigby, I'm sorry. He's not here." Ann said, looking through the garage door. "He has to be here." Rigby grasped onto the door. "I swear, I've searched everywhere. Even Stan doesn't know where he is." Ann replied. "Stan could be lying." Rigby shrugged. "Rigby, he's not here. We're gonna have to leave without him." Axel approached. "This is so unfair! He couldn't have just disappeared. It's not like him!" Rigby shouted.

"Mordecai isn't himself anymore, as we both know." Ann crossed her arms. Rigby was on the verge of tears. Sean walked over. "I think…I think he gets it." Sean sighed, as he grasped Rigby's paw. Ann nodded. "I'll go see what I can get to help us out, once again Rigby. I'm so sorry." Ann sighed, walking off. Axel walked over to Vivian while Sean walked with Rigby back to his bed. "We're gonna get out of here, then we'll come back for him. Okay?" Sean convinced the raccoon. "Okay…thanks kid." Rigby hugged him. "No problem." Sean shed a tear.

**If you chose either of them, go ahead and read the rest, as this combines both choices.**

_An hour later_

After the sun set, Ann returned back to the room, where everyone was preparing to escape. "There she is." Axel said, walking over to the door. Axel helped Ann open the door and she walked in. "What's the plan?" Vivian asked, walking over with everyone else. "Okay, they've got low guard patrols, but there's no way we'd get through there, there's security cameras on out there. So…I improvised." Ann held up some ropes with hooks attached to them. "We're going to scale the walls." Ann said.

"Are you crazy? We could all get killed!" Sean exclaimed. "Quiet down, yes I know it's a risk, but what else is there?" Ann crossed her arms. "We don't even have any weapons, what do we do if something goes wrong?" Vivian asked. "I managed to get a few of these…" Ann opened her backpack and pulled out a few knives. "…they could be useful." Ann finished. "How are kitchen knives gonna help?" Sean asked. "Wanna leave unarmed? It's all I could get." Ann smirked. "Fine." Sean took one. "You sure you should be able to hold one of those? You're just a kid." Rigby asked. "I think I'll be fine." Sean chuckled, putting the knife in his shirt pocket.

Each of them grabbed a knife of their own and glanced at the ropes that Ann had placed on the ground. "When can we leave?" Rigby asked. "Now." Ann answered, glancing at the ropes. "I'll go first." Axel said, grabbing one of the ropes. "Wait, don't you want any of the gear you guys had?" Ann asked. "Should we risk it?" Rigby asked. "Yeah, we had some good stuff." Axel glanced at Vivian. "The supply room, where all of your gear is, is on the top floor of the supermarket. We can access it from the roof." Ann said, pointing to the roof. "Then let's make a move." Axel said, grabbing one of the ropes.

Axel through his hook onto the roof and pulled it so that it got stuck on the edge. "Okay, I'll go first." Axel said, pulling, making sure that it was definitely in place. Axel placed his feet onto the wall and began scaling the wall. A few seconds later, Axel reached the top. "Okay! I'm up." Axel whispered loudly. "I'm next." Vivian said, quietly, grabbing one of the ropes and throwing it onto the roof.

She pulled it tightly and began to scale the wall. "Think we'll get spotted?" Sean asked, as he watched Vivian climbing the wall. "I'm sure we'll be fine." Rigby reassured him. "I don't think I'll be able to do that." Sean said, as Vivian made it to the top. "It's alright, I'll carry you up." Rigby replied, grabbing his rope. "Thanks." Sean smiled at him.

"Okay, I'll go last." Ann said, watching Alpha climb up. "Thanks Ann, we won't forget this." Rigby smiled at her. "It's fine. I'm coming with you anyway." Ann shrugged. Rigby nodded. "Our turn." Sean glanced at Alpha, who had made it up. Rigby threw his rope up onto the roof and tightened it. "It's safe, let's go." Rigby grabbed Sean and held onto him. "Alright, keep a hold of me and don't let go." Rigby said. Sean nodded and held on tightly to Rigby's chest.

Rigby began to pull himself up the wall, with Sean tightly holding Rigby. "Almost there." Rigby groaned, as he continued to pull himself up. "I hope we find him." Sean sighed. "I…hope so too." Rigby said, in-between breaths. "I hope so too." Rigby sighed, as he pulled himself up to the top. Rigby grabbed Sean's left hand and placed it on the edge. Sean grasped the edge and Rigby pushed him over the top, onto the roof.

Sean put down his paw and pulled Rigby up. "Now what?" Rigby asked. Ann climbed up. "That was quick." Sean commented. Ann just shrugged. "This way." Ann walked away, everyone else follow her.

A few seconds later, she stopped. "The supply room is through this." She said, opening a small glass hatch. "Why do they have a skylight over the supply room? That's stupid." Axel chuckled. "I know, right?" Vivian hi-fived him. "Okay, it's all in a pile. Only a few of us should go down there, in case this goes to hell." Ann suggested. "Good idea." Rigby commented. "I'll go." Axel said, slipping into the hatch after Ann.

"I'll go." Rigby followed him down. "You guys stay up here." Axel looked up at Vivian, who was glancing at Sean. "Take good care of them." Axel nodded. Soon enough, Ann, Axel and Rigby disappeared into the room below them.

A few seconds later, backpacks were being thrown up onto the roof. Axel's blue backpack was first, followed by Rigby's orange pack and Sean's small school bag. A few minutes later, Vivian's purple back came up, with a small guitar strapped to the back and Alpha's black hiking pack was thrown up. "Okay…there's all the bags." Ann sighed.

"Is my gun down here?" Axel asked, searching. "The Mk14?" Ann asked. "Yeah." Axel answered. "Um, Stan kinda confiscated all the guns. He didn't want us getting to them." Ann shrugged. "Damn it." Axel sighed. "Sorry." Ann apologized. "It's fine, let's just get out of here." Axel said, climbing back up through the hatch.

"I missed you." Vivian said. "Thanks Viv." Axel blushed. "I was talking about my saw." Vivian chuckled, holding up a home-made saw in her hands. "Screw you." Axel growled. "No thanks." Vivian laughed. "I'm gonna kill you!" Axel shouted. "Keep your voice, down." Ann ordered, climbing back through the hatch. "Sorry." Axel sighed. Ann helped Rigby climb back through the hatch. "Thanks." He glanced at her, before wiping some dirt off of his fur.

"What's he doing?" Axel asked, referring to Alpha, who was staring at something. "Dunno." Vivian said, throwing on her backpack. "Alpha?" Rigby slipped on his backpack and approached. "Holy crap." Rigby gasped. The whole parking lot was packed with the undead.

"When did this happen?" Rigby asked. "So…that's what the shots were." Ann walked over to the edge, standing beside Rigby. "There were shots?" Alpha asked, surprised. "Yeah, I thought they were just practicing, I guess they were trying to reduce the population of undead out there." Ann pointed to the parking lot. Axel and Vivian walked over with Sean. "How do we get down?" Vivian asked, looking below them.

"The playground." Ann grinned. "Playground?" Axel questioned. "Before the apocalypse, this certain WALMART would have a playground. And, that playground contained…" Ann pointed to the ground nearby, which had a slide, swings and a jumping castle. "…A jumping castle." Ann said, confidently.

"Think it'll take our weight?" Rigby questioned. "It should. Let's go." Vivian jumped down. "Don't scratch your guitar! That thing wasn't cheap, you know!" Axel shouted, as Vivian fell to the ground.

She landed on the jumping castle and bounced back off, onto the cement. "Ow…" She groaned, as she stood up. "Keep your voice, down. They're all around you!" Ann whispered loudly, so Vivian could hear her. Vivian nodded. "I'll keep watch, you guys take Sean." Rigby said, looking back at the hatch. "Okay, we'll keep him safe." Alpha glanced at Axel, who was holding Sean's hand so he didn't accidently fall.

"Okay Sean, when we get down there, try to stay on the jumping castle and not…well, land on the cement." Alpha explained. Sean rolled his eyes and nodded. "Okay, let's go." Alpha jumped down, with Axel and Sean following him close behind. Ironically, Alpha landed on the castle, but bounced back off and hit the cement. "Damn it!" Alpha cursed, as he stood back up. Axel and Sean chuckled, as they watched him stand up.

They'd landed perfectly on the castle. "Shut up." Alpha rubbed his head, and stood up straight. They walked over to Vivian. "See you at the bottom." Ann jumped down and landed safely on the castle. Rigby looked at the ground in horror. He was frightened. He could have probably jumped, if Mordecai was there with him.

Suddenly, Rigby heard something. He heard footsteps. "What the?" Rigby turned around. Suddenly, someone jumped at Rigby, propelling them both off of the roof and onto the jumping castle below. Rigby opened his eyes, to see his attacker. "Mordecai?" He gasped. He didn't answer, he just held Rigby still.

Rigby was about to scream for his friends to help him, but he noticed that all of his friends had disappeared into the massive horde of zombies that were converging onto the supermarket.

Rigby reached into his pocket for his knife and pulled it out. "Don't make me!" Rigby shouted. Mordecai swatted the knife from Rigby's paw and grabbed his chest. "Come on man! Let go of me!" Rigby shouted. "What's going on out there?" Stan could be heard, entering the room that the prisoners were staying in.

"Where are they!? Find them!" Stan shouted, noticing the empty room. "Mordecai…come on! It's me, please remember me!" Rigby pleaded. Mordecai just held onto him. Rigby kicked Mordecai off, with all his might and jumped off the castle.

"You are weak. The weak need to be taken out." Mordecai said, tackling Rigby onto the cement. "Come on! Remember me!" Rigby pleaded. Mordecai pulled out the gun he was using earlier and held it to Rigby's head. "No…don't do it!" Rigby pleaded. Mordecai didn't move, he just stared blankly into Rigby's eyes.

Rigby quickly swatted the gun out of Mordecai's hands. The gun landed on the ground nearby. "How _dare_ you!" Mordecai shouted, punching Rigby in the face. Mordecai jumped off Rigby and ran over to where the gun was lying. Rigby quickly stood up and tackled his friend. "Let me go, freak!" Mordecai shouted. His voice being muffled, as his stomach was lying face down on the cement.

Rigby turned his friend over and sat atop of him. "Get off me!" Mordecai shouted, desperately reaching for his gun. Mordecai managed to reach and gun and accidently pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into the wall. The gun was totally out of his reach now, so Mordecai turned back to Rigby, trying to push him off. Rigby kept his calm and grabbed Mordecai's head, holding it firmly with his paws. Mordecai suddenly stopped struggling and looked into Rigby's eyes. Rigby leant in and kissed the blue jay. Rigby pushed his lips onto Mordecai's, while the blue jay in question was trying to push his mate off of him.

Rigby held him firmly, making sure he didn't escape. Mordecai stopped struggling and stared into Rigby's eyes. Mordecai suddenly reached out his wings and pushed Rigby's face into his. After a few minutes, Rigby pulled away. He was confused. "I missed you." Mordecai said, smiling at his husband. "You…you're back?" Rigby exclaimed happily. "Yeah…" Mordecai held his head. "Where are we?" He asked. Rigby looked around, and was horrified when he saw the sight before him.

All of his friends weren't there and scores of zombies were approaching. "The shot must have alerted them." Rigby commented, standing up. Rigby helped Mordecai up. "I don't feel so good…" Mordecai held his friend. "Your mind is probably adjusting to all the things that are happening at once." Rigby explained. "Sure…" Mordecai grinned.

Rigby held Mordecai's hip, making sure his friend didn't tip over. Mordecai's vision was going blurry. "Are we gonna make it?" Mordecai asked, as he glanced at the horde of zombies that were approaching. "Yes! We've come too far." Rigby exclaimed. Suddenly, the sound of gunshots were heard. Stan and a few of his men were out the front of the supermarket taking the zombies out one by one with their Ak-47's and pistols.

"We're not going to make it…we're both gonna die…" Mordecai said, as Rigby and Mordecai backed into the wall of the supermarket. "We gotta make it, for Sean." Rigby grasped Mordecai's hand tightly. "Damn, you're stubborn." Mordecai smiled at him.

Rigby and Mordecai suddenly ran into the horde of zombies, as fast as they could. They sprinted through them, not giving any of them the chance to bite them. "We can do this!" Rigby shouted, as they pushed their way through the crowd of the oncoming undead.

Rigby could see the forest in front of them. "We're going to make it!" Rigby exclaimed. Mordecai suddenly regained confidence and picked his friend up. "What're you doing!?" Rigby shouted. "Saving our lives." He said, running through the crowd of the undead. Soon enough, Mordecai ran into the forest, with Rigby in his arms.

There was silence, Mordecai sprinted through the forest at an extremely fast pace. Rigby could hear the sounds of screaming and guns being fired behind them. It seemed like hours, but they put a lot of distance between themselves and the supermarket. Mordecai placed Rigby down softly onto the grass. "Thanks." Rigby said, standing up. "No…problem." Mordecai leant against and tree and slipped down the trunk, landing on the ground.

"Where is everyone else?" Rigby asked. "Everyone…else?" Mordecai asked, in-between breaths. "Sean…Alpha, Axel, Vivian and Ann." Rigby replied. "Sean!? Where's Sean?" Mordecai asked, panicking. "Don't worry, they're taking care of him." Rigby assured the bird. "You sure?" Mordecai asked. "I'm sure." Rigby placed his paw on Mordecai's head, rubbing his feathers.

"Wait, did you say Alpha?" Mordecai asked. "Yes, I did." Rigby nodded. "The same Alpha we met over fifteen years ago?" Mordecai asked. Rigby nodded. "That's great." Mordecai smiled at him. "Wait." Mordecai said, plainly. "What now?" Mordecai glanced at Rigby. "I…I don't know." Rigby held his chin. "Oh wait, there's also something else you missed." Rigby interrupted himself.

"What? Was it important?" Mordecai asked. "Yes." Rigby nodded. "Then what is it?" Mordecai questioned. "Well, we found Margaret." Rigby replied. "Really?" Mordecai was surprised. Rigby nodded. "She was camping in a café with Eileen, Thomas, Fives and…well…Benson _was_ there." Rigby's head drooped. "They…they're all alive?" Mordecai exclaimed, happily. "No…Benson…Benson got bit." Rigby sighed. "I'm sorry, Rigby." Mordecai held the raccoon close to his chest.

"Wait…where were they all?" Mordecai asked. "In a town, nearby." Rigby answered. "Do you know where the town was?" Mordecai asked. "It wasn't too far away, it was just west of the prison." Rigby answered. "If we can find a road, it will lead us to the town." Mordecai said, standing up. "Where _is_ the road?" Rigby asked. "I don't see a road, but I see a dirt path." Mordecai pointed over to a nearby dirt track. "We can follow it until we find the road." Mordecai said. "Good idea." Rigby looked up at the blue jay.

"Thanks, man. Now, let's go." Mordecai walked towards the dirt path, with Rigby following him close behind. "Think we'll find everyone else?" Rigby asked. "They wouldn't have abandoned us, they would have to be close by." Rigby replied. Mordecai nodded and walked down the dirt path with the raccoon.

"It's so great to have you back." Rigby caressed his friend's leg. "That's creepy." Mordecai chuckled. "I know." Rigby continued to hold his friend's leg. Mordecai smirked. "You know, you wouldn't like it if I held your leg continuously." Mordecai glanced at him. "I wouldn't like it." Rigby sighed. "I thought so." Mordecai laughed. "I'd love it." Rigby chuckled. Mordecai just rolled his eyes.

"Once we get to the café, I'm so gonna hold you to that."

**There we go, another chapter is complete! Thanks for reading!**

**Can we get 75 Reviews!?**

**I'll see you next time!**

**RSM**


	11. Episode Eleven: Sanctuary

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Two: In Plain Sight**

**Episode Five: Sanctuary**

**13th of March, 2024, Just after Midnight**

**Day 239**

"I can't see out here." Mordecai sighed. "I know, half of me is wishing that we stayed at the prison until tomorrow." Rigby shook his head, before yawning. "Nah, I'm happy we left tonight. Besides, Clinton shouldn't be far away. I mean, we've been travelling down this road for what, an hour? Two? I've lost track of time." Mordecai held his head, beginning to get frustrated.

"It's okay, I'm sure we'll get there…eventually." Rigby spun his head around, and glanced down at the road they'd been travelling on.

"How far do you reckon Clinton is from here?" Mordecai asked. "All I know is that it was west of the prison. But…it wasn't _that_ far." Rigby answered, calmly. "You think we went past it?" Mordecai stopped in his tracks. "I'm not sure. I can't see out here." Rigby looked up at his friend. "Maybe we should stop somewhere until day breaks." Mordecai suggested. "Good idea, but where would we go? There isn't a building for miles." Rigby crossed his arms. "Who says we can't rest out here?" Mordecai shrugged.

"You've got to be kidding me. Who _knows_ what could be out here!" Rigby threw his hands up. "You got a better idea? You even _said_ that there isn't a building for miles. Do you really wanna walk _further_ down the road at this time of the night?" Mordecai glared at him. "That's a better idea than camping out here." Rigby shrugged. "They're both equally terrible ideas." A voice was heard nearby. "Who said that?" Rigby glanced at his friend. "I did." The voice replied. A few seconds later, a bush nearby began to rustle and a figure came out.

Mordecai unsheathed his knife, while Rigby pulled out his pistol. "Woah, no need for that." The figure approached. Suddenly, the figure lit a match. The aura emitting off of the match provided a light so they could see each other. The figure was a young girl, a few inches taller than Rigby, wearing a yellow raincoat and black pants, with no shoes. She had no weapons, only her blue and white striped medium-sized backpack.

"Who are you?" She asked. "We're…just survivors…" Mordecai replied, putting his knife back into the left pocket of his backpack. "How old are you?" Rigby asked. "Why do you ask?" She crossed her arms. "We're just curious." Rigby shrugged. "Well, if you _must_ know. I'm 24." She replied. "You look like you're much younger than that." Rigby glanced at her. "It's true! I swear." She exclaimed. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. What are you doing out here?" Mordecai asked.

"Does it matter?" She narrowed her eyes. "Not really." Rigby shrugged. "Let's just skip the formalities, my name's Jamie, I'm 24 and I'm a lone survivor. Now, you got any food? I sorta ran out." She quickly explained. "Oh…um. Yeah we got some. Here…just give me a second." Mordecai pulled off his backpack and opened it. "You guys seem lost." Jaime commented. "That's one way to put it." Rigby muttered. "You _do_ know, that there is a town a few miles away?" Jaime pointed down the road. "Really?" Rigby glanced at where she was pointing. "Yeah, I'm sure there's people in there too. I remember going past it and I heard glass being broken." Jaime replied. "That could've been just the walkers." Rigby shrugged.

Mordecai pulled out a few bags of fresh fruit and re-closed the bag. "Walkers?" Jaime asked, confused. "You know, the zombies from The Walking Dead?" Rigby furrowed an eyebrow. "Um…" Jaime was confused. "It's just another name for zombies." Mordecai chuckled, handing over the bags to Jaime. "Thanks dude, I can't thank you enough." Jaime glanced at the bags she was carrying. "It was nice meetin' ya. But we're gonna head off." Mordecai said, throwing his bag back on.

"Okay then, thanks for the food." Jaime began to walk away. "Good luck!" Rigby exclaimed, as she walked away. "You too, man." She smiled at him and disappeared into the forest. "Well, at least we know where town is." Rigby shrugged. Mordecai nodded and continued to travel towards the town with Rigby. "Think we'll get there soon? I'm tired." Rigby complained. "I'm sure we will." Mordecai nodded.

_Meanwhile_

A few miles away, in Clinton. The coffee shop was filled with the survivors of Clinton, plus the survivors from the prison. A fire was built and Margaret, Eileen, Vivian, Alpha and Axel were sitting around it. "It's freezing in here, even _with _the fire."

Margaret rubbed her shoulders, for warmth. "I know, we can't stay here." Axel glared at Alpha. "Hey, it isn't my fault that they aren't here yet." Alpha glared right back at him. "Well, these guys aren't really _helping_ are they?" Axel crossed his arms.

"Dude, they're the whole reason we escaped that prison they called a 'Beacon of Hope'." Alpha exclaimed. "I know! But we're gonna freeze waiting for them here." Axel glanced at Vivian. "Right, Viv?" Axel continued.

"I…I just don't think we can leave without them." Vivian argued. "None of you have common sense!" Axel exclaimed. "Urgh…I'm going to bed." Axel stood up and walked into the room with all the bedrolls. Vivian shook her head. "What time is it?" Margaret asked. "Dunno, but it's late." Eileen said, glancing out the window. "Think they're still alive?" Vivian glanced at Alpha. "Yeah, I'm sure." Alpha scooted over to Vivian. "Glad you think so." Vivian sighed.

"Alright, I'm gonna hit the hay. See you guys in the morning, I guess." Eileen stood up. "Alright, 'night." Margaret watched her friend walk off. "I guess it's just us three." Vivian shrugged. "Four." Alpha glanced at Thomas, who was asleep beside the fire. "Think they're still alive?" Margaret asked. "I'm sure they are, they're both pretty strong." Alpha stared at the fire, and held out his hands. "Think Axel will get over it?" Alpha asked. "I'm not sure, when Alpha puts his mind to doing something, most of the time he never gives up. This may be one of those moments." Vivian explained.

"We'll just stay and he'll leave without us then." Margaret said, sternly. "No, if he's leaving. I'm leaving too." Vivian argued. "Why?" Alpha asked. "Dude, he's my best friend. And the only person…I have left." Vivian glanced at the ground. "Damn it." Margaret sighed. "I'm gonna go check on the kid." Alpha stood up and walked away. "Too bad about Ann." Vivian sighed. "Yeah, she sounded cool. Didn't you say she helped you escape?" Margaret questioned. "Yeah, I did. Too bad about her." Vivian sighed. Margaret nodded, then glanced at Thomas, who was sleeping soundly.

"You like him, don't you?" Vivian cracked a smile. "Is it that obvious?" Margaret sighed. "It's so obvious that someone from space could see it." Vivian laughed. "That's not even remotely possible." Margaret chuckled. "Thanks for ruining the joke." Vivian rolled her eyes. "My pleasure." Margaret grinned.

Meanwhile, Alpha walked into the room where all of the survivors were sleeping and walked down to the end, where Sean was sleeping. Alpha grabbed a nearby chair and sat it in front of Sean's bed. Accidently waking up Sean in the process. "Hey kid." Alpha greeted. "Hey." Sean yawned, sitting up. "Sorry for waking you up." Alpha apologized. "It's fine." Sean yawned.

"How're you feeling?" Alpha asked. "I've been better. I just wish Mordecai and Rigby were here." Sean sighed. "Don't worry, kid. They'll get here soon enough." Alpha reassured the wolf. Sean nodded wearily. "Alright, I'm going to bed. 'Night kid." Alpha got off of his bed. "Alright, cya later." Sean watched Alpha walk away and laid back down on his bedroll. Sean closed his eyes and pulled his blanket over his body. "Please be alive." Sean muttered, quietly.

_At the same time_

"You sure Jaime wasn't lying just to get food?" Rigby suggested. "Dude, both of us saw the sign back there. She was telling the truth." Mordecai glanced down at his mate. "Whatever. It's been hours, we should've got there by now and besides, and it's freezing out here." Rigby shivered. "I know, but don't worry, I'm sure town isn't too far away." Mordecai sighed. Rigby was right, it was extremely freezing out there.

Mordecai glanced down at his mate, who was shivering to the extreme. "Hey, want me to warm you up?" Mordecai asked, awkwardly. "How're you gonna do that?" Rigby laughs. "Nice try man…but I think I'm fine…" Rigby shivered. "I'm only trying to help, man." Mordecai glanced at the road ahead of him.

"It shouldn't be too far." Rigby said, quietly. "There you go. That's a better attitude." Mordecai chuckled. "Whatever, I guess we-…" Rigby suddenly tripped over something. "Dude?" Mordecai spun his head around and helped his friend up. "What'd you trip over?" Mordecai asked. "Can't tell. Here, hand me a match." Rigby said, holding out his paw. Mordecai opened an outside pocket of his backpack and handed his friend a match. Rigby struck the match against the ground and lit the match.

Rigby knelt down and held the match in front of him. Rigby gasped. "Dude I tripped over a body!" Rigby exclaimed. "What?" Mordecai glanced at the ground. "Hey, I know that face…" Rigby sighed. "Dude, is that Ann?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah…it is." Rigby sighed. "Hold this match." Rigby handed the match over to Mordecai. "What for?" Mordecai questioned, holding the match beside the body. "We gotta search her, who knows what stuff she has on her." Rigby searched her. "Dude, that's disgusting! She's a living person." Mordecai glared at Rigby with disgust.

"No she's not, she's dead." Rigby replied, searching her pockets. Mordecai sighed. "Where's her backpack?" Mordecai asked, changing the subject. "Dunno." Rigby shrugged. "Did you find anything?" Mordecai asked, wearily. "Yeah, but not much. Only a can opener and a few shell casings for…um…I'm not sure what gun these are for." Rigby held the shells and can opener in his paw. "Looks like casing for a revolver, we should keep them." Mordecai suggested. Rigby nodded and put the casings in his backpack, with the can opener.

"Let's go." Rigby shook his head and walked around Ann's body. Mordecai followed him close behind. "Hey, look. A sign." Rigby pointed to the side of the road. "Clinton…0.6 miles." Mordecai read.

"Nice! That's only a…" Rigby counted the fingers on his left paw. "…well…I'm guessing half an hour?" Rigby chuckled nervously. "Ha, you suck at math." Mordecai smirked. "Whatever, at least I'm better than you." Rigby crossed his arms. Mordecai snickered. "Who's the one with the diploma?" Mordecai laughed.

Rigby didn't flinch. "What's wrong with you? I thought you hated me bringing that up." Mordecai stopped laughing. "Dude, it's the apocalypse, it's not like anyone cares." Rigby chuckled. Mordecai was about to say something, but succumbed to defeat.

The next few minutes were filled with silence, until Rigby broke it. "You know something?" Rigby asked. "What?" Mordecai asked, un-interested. "Hear me out." Rigby looked up at him. "Fine, go ahead." Mordecai rolled his eyes.

"What if we wore clothes? We'd like, have more room for stuff, and plus, it would help with this cold…" Rigby shivered. "Not a bad idea..." Mordecai smiled at his friend. "Good thinking, dude." Mordecai hi-fived the raccoon.

_30 minutes later_

"I'm exhausted." Rigby sighed. "I know…we've been walking for forever." Mordecai yawned. Rigby didn't answer, he just nodded. "Hey dude, look!" Mordecai pointed at something. "What is it?" Rigby asked, looking at where he was pointing. "Dude, its Clinton." Mordecai glanced at his friend. "How do you know?" Rigby asked. "I dunno, but I see a light down there." Mordecai shrugged. "Whatever. Let's go." Rigby walked with Mordecai to the town.

Suddenly, Mordecai and Rigby heard the familiar moaning of a walker. "Dude, I hear something." Rigby said, quietly. "Me too, just keep walking." Mordecai looked around them. The moaning intensified and got closer. "Dude, those moans are from those…um…" Rigby tried to think. "Ha! Bad memory and bad at math! Your life is getting worse and worse." Mordecai laughed. "Dude, those are zombies!" Rigby ignored his friend's comments. "No shit. Let's just keep moving." Mordecai looked around them.

Suddenly, Rigby began to run. "Hey! Where are you going!? Get back here!" Mordecai shouted, chasing after him.

_Meanwhile_

Margaret and Thomas sat alone at the fire. "I never really did well with guns. So…yeah. I'm pretty useless." Thomas shook his head. "You're not useless, someone just has to teach you how to survive. Maybe…I could help?" Margaret smiled at him. "Maybe…I don't know." Thomas shrugged. "It's always a good idea to have a gun with you. Most of the time." Margaret smirked.

The room fell silent. "Look…Thomas. I-I wanted to a-ask you s-something." Margaret stuttered. "Yeah?" Thomas asked. "I…um…" Margaret rubbed the back of her neck.

"…dude! Get back here! Where are you going!?" Someone could be heard shouting outside. "What the?" Thomas stood up. Margaret just sighed. "What is wrong with you!?" The same person exclaimed. "They're everywhere, come on let's just hide in here until they go away." Another person replied. "Why did you run?" The first man asked.

"Dude, there are things that are going to _eat _and _skin_ us out there. What, do you expect me to walk?" The second guy answered. "Whatever, just get the door open." The first guy ordered.

Suddenly, the door knob of the café turned. "What the, it won't open!" The second guy shouted. "Keep trying!" The first guy exclaimed. "Dude, they're coming in!" Thomas exclaimed. The door suddenly swang open and the two men burst in. "Hold the door shut!" The first man exclaimed. "I am! I am!" The second one shouted.

Margaret just sat there, in shock. Thomas suddenly ran over to the door and assisted the two men. "Thomas!" Margaret exclaimed. The three men managed to get the door shut. Thomas quickly ran over and grabbed a nearby table. "Margaret, help!" Thomas exclaimed. Margaret got up quickly and ran over to assist the goat.

Margaret and Thomas pushed the table across the room and in front of the door. "Oh…man…that was close…" Thomas panted. "Thanks." One of the men thanked them. Thomas and Margaret finally got a chance to see who the two intruders were. "Rigby? Mordecai? Oh my god!" Thomas exclaimed. "Oh man!" Rigby hugged the goat. Margaret glanced at the blue jay. "I'm so glad you made it." Margaret awkwardly hugged him.

"I'm glad too." Mordecai smiled at her. "What the hell is going on out here? I just got to sleep!" Axel walked out, rubbing his eyes. "Oh…wait…oh! You made it!" Axel exclaimed. "Yeah, I guess we did." Rigby shrugged.

Axel walked back into the bedroom and came back out, followed by Vivian, Alpha, Hi-Five Ghost, Sean and Eileen. "It's so great to see you!" Sean ran up and hugged the two mates. "It's great to see you too, kid." Mordecai said, hugging the wolf.

"Long time no see." Eileen crossed her arms. Rigby walked over and hugged Eileen. "It's been too long…" Rigby said, quietly. "I know. I missed you." Eileen pulled away. Rigby suddenly remembered something. "Oh and…we um…found Ann." Rigby sighed. "Sorry Rigby, she's the only one who didn't make it." Vivian sighed. "How did she die?" Mordecai asked, glancing at her. "Ironically, she got bit during the escape from the prison." Vivian answered.

"Well, at least the rest of us are safe." Rigby shrugged. "Exactly." Sean nodded. "What happened to her backpack? It wasn't on her." Rigby asked. "What? She died with her backpack, didn't she?" Vivian glanced at Axel. "Yeah, she did. Remember? We decided to leave her backpack on her, because we didn't want to take any risk of being bitten." Axel shrugged. "Only you, we only didn't take the backpack because we have hearts. She was a dead person, only assholes would loot a dead body." Alpha glared at Axel.

Rigby glanced up at Mordecai. Mordecai shook his head in disappointment and looked back at the rest of the survivors. "What happens now?" The blue jay asked. "We're gonna stay here for the night, but I'd assume that Stan would've sent people out to hunt us down, so we're leaving immediately in the morning." Alpha exclaimed. "Good idea." Mordecai nodded. "Let's get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow." Eileen yawned. "Good idea." Alpha said, walking back into the bedroom.

Margaret and Thomas followed close behind them, before Axel left. Vivian smiled at Rigby and Mordecai, before following Axel into the bedroom. "Hey, I saved these for ya." Hi-Five ghost floated over and handed a pack of cigarettes to the blue jay. "Um…thanks. But I don't smoke." Mordecai gave Fives a confused look. "It's never too late to try." Fives threw his hands up. "Woooo!" He floated into the bedroom, leaving Sean, Mordecai and Rigby alone.

"I'm glad that you guys are back. Now I can sleep at night." Sean chuckled. "Same here." Mordecai smiled at the kid. "I'm gonna go to sleep, see you guys in the morning." Rigby yawned. "Hey, gimme a kiss." Mordecai demanded. Mordecai knelt down to his friend. Rigby rolled his eyes and kissed his friend goodnight. "Urgh, yuck." Sean covered his eyes. Rigby just chuckled. "See you tomorrow, Sean." Rigby hugged him and walked off.

"I might as well go to sleep too." Mordecai yawned. "I assume you're both extremely exhausted." Sean crossed his arms. "Yeah, we've been walking for hours." Mordecai replied. "That's understandable." Sean shrugged.

"You know what, kid?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah?" Sean looked up at the blue jay. "I think your parents would be proud of you, of what you are today." Mordecai smiled at him. Sean stayed silent. "Now, get some sleep kid. I'll see you in the morning." Mordecai smiled at him, patted him on the back and walked into the bedroom, where everyone else was sleeping.

Sean sat down on a nearby chair and placed his head on the table. "I miss you mom." Sean sighed. "You too dad." Sean looked up at the ceiling. "I'll see you guys again, some day." Sean wiped some tears away from his eyes. Sean slowly got off of the chair and dragged himself to the bedroom. He walked past everyone, who were laying on their individual bedrolls and laid on his bedroll.

"I'm so glad I have so many good friends." Sean whispered to himself, as he covered himself with his blanket. "Oh well…better get some sleep." Sean continued to talk to himself. Sean closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

**Sorry for taking so long! I've been so busy with school and I've had serious writer's block! Though I'm so glad that I finally got a chance to type this chapter up. **

**So that's why I typed up two chapters in 2 days, over a week ago.**

**Thanks for 74 reviews everyone! I'll see you in the next chapter.**

**NEXT TIME ON A REGULAR OUTBREAK**

"_I can't believe we made it!" Rigby exclaimed, hi-fiving Sean. Rigby glanced over back at the river they'd just crossed and gasped. "What's going on out there!?" Rigby shouted. "Mordecai's trying to save him! He's being dragged down!" Sean shouted. The group watched as Mordecai desperately tried to save him from being dragged down, to his death. _

_The walkers were going into the water, floating over towards them. "Mordecai! It's too late for him! Let him go!" Sean shouted. Mordecai glanced over at the walkers that were approaching them. "Don't let me go!" He shouted. Mordecai sighed. "I'm sorry…" Mordecai let him go. The walker dragged him down. Mordecai quickly swam over to the group. "Come on! Let's get out of here!" He shouted, as he ran past._

**See you soon.**

**RSM**


	12. Episode Twelve: Through The Ice

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Three: Cutting Losses and Letting Go**

**Episode One: Through The Ice**

**12****th**** of May, 2024, Sunrise.**

**Day 298.**

_Previously, on A Regular Outbreak_

"_Even though these…things aren't the same as us. We treat them with the respect they deserve. None."_

"_And the best way to do that, is to keep them in line. The only way we know how. Brute force." Stan said, over the intercom._

"_Let's hope these creatures can assist us with making this place a beacon of hope…for everyone here." Stan finished, switching off the intercom._

Mordecai slowly opened his eyes. Suddenly finding himself in an unfamiliar and oddly enough, friendly environment. "Hey man…does this coffee taste weird to you?" A voice beside Mordecai asked. Mordecai glanced at the person, it was Rigby. They were sitting together in a small café, watching the sun rise.

"Um…okay?" Mordecai grabbed his friend's coffee and took a quick sip. "It tastes fine to me." Mordecai placed it back down onto the table.

"Meh, thanks anyway." Rigby glanced at the cup and picked it up. "Nice sunrise this morning." Rigby commented. "Perfect." Mordecai began to drink some of his coffee. "It's pretty quiet in here." Rigby commented, glancing out the window. Mordecai glanced around the café. "Yeah, not even any employees here." Mordecai sighed.

Rigby just shrugged. Mordecai glanced at the sun as it began to rise. Mordecai sighed. "Whats wrong?" Rigby asked, looking up at his friend. "Well…yes and no…" Mordecai shrugged.

"Hey dude, wake up." Mordecai opened his eyes. He saw his friend in front of him. "You zoned out there, you okay?" Rigby asked, softly. "Im fine, I just had a daydream about…well. Um…a café." Mordecai shrugged. "A café?" Rigby asked, confused. "Well, yes." Mordecai furrowed an eyebrow. "Come on guys, keep up." Axel said, sling his backpack over his shoulder.

Mordecai and Rigby caught back up to the group. Two months after leaving Clinton, the group travelled through Kansas and into the state of Colorado. "Think we could rest soon? It hasn't stopped snowing since we entered Colorado." Margaret asked, re-adjusting her backpack. "Soon, okay? It's only…" Alpha checked his watch. "…six in the morning." Alpha finished. "We've been travelling all night." Sean yawned. "W-we should stop." Thomas agreed. "Fine…only five minutes though." Alpha sighed.

Mordecai, Sean and Rigby walked over to Margaret and Thomas. Thomas was rummaging through his backpack, while Margaret was leaning against a rock nearby. "Hey guys." Rigby greeted, sitting on the ground with Mordecai. "Hey." Margaret smiled. "Need any help?" Mordecai asked. "No…we're fine…" Margaret assured them. "Actually, we could use some help." Thomas stood up. "What with?" Mordecai asked.

"Margaret hasn't really been feeling very well..." Thomas glanced at her. Rigby cocked an eyebrow. "Got any painkillers?" Thomas asked. "Um…Yeah." Rigby took off his backpack and rummaged through it. "What's wrong with you?" Mordecai asked. "Dunno, just a bit of stomach pain." Margaret replied, holding her stomach. "Here." Rigby handed over a couple of capsules. "Thanks." Thomas grabbed them and passed them to the robin.

"We're leaving in a few seconds!" Alpha shouted. "Fine! God." Rigby sighed. "I wish Alpha would stop telling us what to do." Sean sighed. "Yeah, same here. But he's only doing it to protect us all, we don't want any more casualties." Thomas sighed. "I guess." Sean glanced at him. "Ever since Fives and Eileen left, he's been a little more stressed." Margaret said.

Rigby nodded in agreement. Mordecai glanced at the group. "Aren't many of us left." Mordecai sighed. "Yep, only the seven of us." Rigby glanced at Axel and Vivian. "I can't believe we're all still alive." Margaret chuckled slightly. "Same here. I expected that I'd die in the first week." Rigby smiled at his friend. "If it wasn't for this guy, I would've died." Rigby poked the blue jay.

"Same here." Sean nodded. "God bless the bird!" Thomas laughed. Margaret chuckled. "Okay guys! Let's get a move on. We're burning daylight." Alpha stood back up. "Five minutes isn't too much time." Vivian said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "It is to me." Alpha shivered. "Wait Alpha, where are we even going?" Rigby walked up to him.

"I don't know! Somewhere safe? Maybe we could find a boat and…well, sail to a different country! Who knows? This could have just been a national epidemic. Not a worldwide one." Alpha explained. "It wouldn't make much sense." Mordecai smirked. "Whatever, let's just keep moving." Alpha growled.

Alpha began trekking into the forest, followed closely by Axel and Vivian. While Thomas, Margaret, Rigby, Sean and Mordecai slowly followed. Rigby shivered and placed his paws into the pockets of his hoodie. "It's freezing out here…" He muttered. "I know, don't worry though. We'll find somewhere to camp." Mordecai glanced at him worryingly.

Sean walked beside Rigby and glanced at his backpack. "Hey Sean." He greeted. "Hey. Um…can you spare me a drink? I ran out of water." Sean asked. "Yeah, sure kid." Rigby pulled a bottle of water from his backpack and passed it to the wolf. "Thanks." Sean unscrewed the lid and had a quick sip, then handed it back. Rigby nodded and put the bottle back into his backpack.

"Do you even have any idea where we are going?" Vivian asked, walking beside Alpha. "To be honest…no. I don't. But…we'll find something." Alpha confessed. "Just…be sure you don't put these people in danger. They have a kid." Vivian glanced at Sean, who was talking to Rigby. Alpha nodded wearily and focused ahead of him.

The group travelled through the snow, not knowing what awaited ahead of them. Not long later, the group reached a lake, completely frozen. Mordecai walked ahead and looked left, looking for a way to cross. "Think we can go around?" Alpha asked. Mordecai glanced to the right. "Doubt it, I don't see any bridge or any other way we can cross." Mordecai replied.

"Damn it…can we cross the lake?" Vivian asked, approaching it. "Possibly, but we'd have to be careful." Rigby looked at the river, nervously. "I…I see a building across the lake…we could camp there…okay…okay…let's…let's cross." Alpha stuttered, placing one foot onto the ice. "I'll go first." Alpha said, cautiously walking across the first part of the lake. Suddenly, gunshots were heard nearby, in the forest. "What the?" Sean exclaimed. Axel came running out of the forest. "What did you do?" Vivian asked, as Axel ran over to her. "I…I tried…" Axel panted.

"Walkers…were…following us. I just…had to get rid of them…just in case." Axel explained, panting. "It's alright, let's just cross the lake." Alpha said, continuing to cross. Vivian and Axel followed Alpha close behind, at an extremely slow pace. "I'll help Margaret across, take care of the kid." Rigby said, glancing at Margaret. "Thanks Rigby, I owe you one." Thomas smiled at him. Rigby nodded and began to walk onto the ice, holding Margaret's hand as they crossed.

Mordecai and Thomas began to walk onto the ice, while Mordecai held Sean on his shoulders. Suddenly, walkers began to come out of the forest behind them. "They must have heard the gunshot." Mordecai said, glancing behind him. Mordecai glanced at Thomas. "Thomas, take Sean, I'll take these things out." Mordecai looked at the goat. Thomas nodded and picked up Sean. "I'll be back." Mordecai said, pulling out his pistol.

Thomas placed Sean on his shoulders and slowly began to walk across the ice again, while Mordecai began to shoot the walkers as they began to follow them onto the ice. "What's with the shooting?!" Alpha exclaimed, looking back. "I'm taking out the walkers! Just keep going!" Mordecai shouted back. Alpha looked ahead of him and began to run to the other side of the ice. "Don't run! You'll break the ice!" Axel said, running after him. Vivian, Rigby and Margaret followed close behind.

Walkers began to clump together, resulting in them falling through the ice. A crack began forming across the lake, alerting the three people still standing on it. "Off the ice!" Mordecai shouted, running towards Thomas. "Here, I'll take Sean. Just run!" Mordecai quickly grabbed Sean and began to run across the ice, towards the group.

"Hurry!" Rigby shouted, watching Mordecai and Sean come closer. Suddenly, Thomas stopped in his tracks. Mordecai and Sean made it to the other side and breathed a sigh of relief. Mordecai placed Sean back down and glanced back at the ice. "What the? Thomas?" Mordecai glanced at Thomas, who was cowering with fear.

The ice was breaking under him. "What's going on?" Sean asked. "Thomas is gonna fall through the ice." Axel answered. "No…not another one. We can't lose another one of us." Alpha sighed. Sean threw his backpack down on the ground and ran onto the ice. "Where are you going?! Get back here!" Mordecai shouted, running after him.

The group watched in horror, as Sean and Mordecai ran up to Thomas, whose face was showing pure fear. "I got you…" Mordecai slowly walked closer and outstretched his wing. "No…stay back. You'll fall through." Thomas warned. "We need to get you out of there, Thomas, now, reach for my wing." Mordecai leant over. "No! You'll take us both down…" Thomas begged. Mordecai ignored Thomas's warnings and walked closer. "No! Don't!" Thomas shouted, as Mordecai approached.

Mordecai got in arm's reach, before the ice beneath them both broke, sending them both into the icy depths below. "No!" Rigby shouted, as he watched his friend plummet into the lake. Sean quickly slid down to the whole and outstretched his hand, hoping somebody would grab it. "Come on…" Sean begged. Suddenly, a sudden thump on the ice was heard. Sean quickly ran over to that part of the ice and noticed that Mordecai was trying to break through the ice.

Sean noticed that Mordecai had dropped his pistol and picked it up. He spun the pistol around and began to hit the ice with the handle. "Sean, stop!" Margaret shouted. "It's too late!" Axel exclaimed, trying to convince Sean. Sean ignored them and continued to hit the ice. Mordecai continued to thump the ice, trying to bust through.

Suddenly, Sean smashed through the ice and fell into the lake below. Sean closed his eyes for a second, not wanting to see the sight before him. Sean breathed out and opened his eyes. All he saw was darkness, the lake was too dark to be able to look around freely. Sean suddenly felt a pair of hands grab him and throw him onto the ice above.

Sean opened his eyes and shivered. Mordecai had pulled him out, while Rigby and Alpha ran over to help. Alpha helped Mordecai over to the other side, while Rigby picked up Sean and began running towards the other side of the lake. "Fuck! I got you…" Rigby exclaimed, picking up speed. "Shit! He's gonna freeze to death…" Rigby panicked.

"Where's Thomas?" Margaret asked, as Vivian helped her up. Vivian sighed and helped Margaret up a small hill, following the group. Axel ran up to the building and quickly flung its doors open. "In!" He shouted, watching the group enter the building, one by one.

"We need to get a fire going!" Rigby said, placing Sean on a small couch. "Outside is a half-built shed. There should be some spare planks. I'll go grab some." Vivian said, running back outside. Alpha placed Mordecai beside Sean and sat on the couch. Margaret was still shocked by the whole thing. "Where's Thomas!?" Margaret shouted. Axel ran outside and helped Vivian. "He…he…fell…through the ice…" Mordecai shivered. "We…we tried to save him…but…we couldn't." Mordecai looked at Margaret with shame.

Vivian and Axel burst back into the building and threw some wood onto the ground in the middle of the room. Vivian walked over to Margaret and comforted her, while Axel attempted to light the fire. "Can't light." Axel said, continuously trying to light it. "Shut the windows…the wind is passing through them…" Sean shivered. Axel nodded and began to shut all the windows. Alpha sat Mordecai up and removed his soaked jacket. Axel came back and pulled out his lighter and set the planks on fire. "Oh…thank god…" Sean said, jumping down from the couch and kneeling in front of the fire.

Mordecai shivered and sat beside Sean. "That was a close one…" Rigby sighed. "Thomas is dead…" Margaret cried. "I…I got Thomas killed…" Axel suddenly said. "No you didn't, what are you talking about?" Alpha glanced at Axel. "If I hadn't shot those…things out in the woods…it wouldn't have attracted them to us." Axel held his head, stressfully. "It isn't your fault! Get a hold of yourself." Alpha stood up.

Axel sighed and glanced at the fire. He just stood there, silent. The silence was deathly quiet, and unnerving. Rigby sat in-between Sean and Mordecai, who were still shivering. "Could you go outside and get their bags?" Rigby asked, glancing at Vivian. She nodded and walked outside. Margaret sat beside Axel, who remained silent.

A few seconds later, Vivian returned with the backpacks and threw them onto the couch. Vivian sat down and shifted in her spot uncomfortably. "There's only seven of us." Mordecai spoke up. Everyone else remained silent. "Eileen…Fives…Benson, Ann…Thomas…they're all gone…" Mordecai continued. "And we're going to die next…I'm sure of it…" Mordecai finished. "Don't give up man…we're going to survive this." Rigby glanced at his friend, with a worried-stricken face.

"I know you're trying to help Rigby, but…you can't argue. We've lost…well…think about it…" Mordecai held out his wings and began counting, dropping his fingers each time he counted.

"Eileen, Fives, Benson, Ann, Carly, Felix, Micheal, Michelle, Skips, Pops, Muscleman! Dude! We've lost everybody! I…can't take this stress anymore…" Mordecai grasped his head. "But we can't give up. I know how stressful this is…but think about it." Sean attempted to convince him.

"If you don't want to survive for yourself, do it for Felix…Micheal and Riley." Rigby convinced him. Mordecai winced. "I haven't heard that name in a long time…" He let out a quiet sigh. "I assume, Riley is a close friend of yours?" Axel asked, intrigued. "More like 'was'." Rigby sighed. "Oh, sorry." Axel apologized. "There's no need to apologize." Rigby shook his head.

The room fell silent once again. "I'm going to go look around for some stuff we can use." Alpha said, standing up. "Where are we, anyway?" Vivian asked. Alpha glanced at a sign on a nearby wall. "Lakeside Inn." Alpha read. "This is an inn?" Rigby asked, confused. "Where's the bar?" Rigby finished. "Not all Inns have bars, dude." Mordecai cracked a smile. "Yeah, only the good ones do." Rigby smiled. "I'll go looking around. Axel…wanna come help?" Alpha asked. "Sure." Axel nodded and followed Alpha out of the room.

"He's gone." Margaret wiped some tears away. "We're sorry, we tried everything." Mordecai sighed. "It isn't your fault…thanks for trying." Margaret glanced at the fireplace. Rigby glanced at his watch. Mordecai noticed him. "Still got that thing, eh? I assumed it stopped working ages ago." Mordecai chuckled, softly. "Meh, during out last raid I found a few spare batteries for this baby." Rigby tapped his watch.

Sean glanced at him and shivered. "Get some rest kid, you'll be fine after you sleep." Rigby suggested. Sean nodded and laid on Mordecai's shoulder. "You're a good father." Rigby looked up at the blue jay. "I learned from the best." Mordecai smiled at him. Margaret glanced at them and laid down beside the fireplace. Vivian looked down at her and laid beside her. Mordecai and Sean fell asleep shortly after, while Rigby stayed awake. The raccoon carefully and quietly opened his backpack and took out a small blanket. He zipped it up and threw his backpack back onto the couch.

Rigby carefully placed the blanket over Mordecai and Sean and stepped back. Rigby crossed his arms and sighed. He looked out one of the windows, noticing Alpha and Axel checking out a truck which was just outside.

"I better go help Alpha and Axel."

**Sorry for such a long and small chapter! Major writer's block and tons of things happening at once ruined my chances of updating! Im so sorry! I'm nine days late! Well, at least it's finally here! Thanks for reading this linear and OCC story!**

**PM me for any questions on updates, my stories or anything else!**

**PEACE**

**RSM**


	13. Episode Thirteen: Taking Shelter

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Three: Cutting Losses and Letting Go**

**Episode Two: Taking Shelter**

**12****th**** of May, 2024, Late Morning**

**Day 298**

**A/N: Before I begin; yes I did copy the walking dead in the last chapter and I apologize. I ran out of ideas and picked some that sounded SIMILAR to it, but it still went down the same path as the game. I won't be doing that again, I will try to stick to my own story and not go too far into the game's way of survival. Thanks for understanding.**

Rigby quietly walked over to the door of the Inn and quietly opened it. He passed through, closing it cautiously behind him and walked over to the truck. "Okay, turn the key." Alpha said, his head under the hood of the truck. Axel turned the key of the truck. "Did you turn the key?" Alpha asked, looking around the hood. "Yeah, I did." Axel replied, jumping out of the truck. "This thing isn't gonna start…" Alpha shut the hood.

"Anything I can do?" Rigby asked, approaching the truck. "Actually, yes. Do you know anything about how a car works?" Alpha asked. "Well, I know how to drive one, so that's gotta count for something." Rigby shrugged. "Can you help us get the truck started?" Alpha asked, opening the hood again. "I can try." Rigby said, walking in front of the car. Alpha stood beside him, while Axel got back into the truck.

Rigby began fiddling with the engine. He came back up and glanced around the hood. "Turn the key." Rigby told him. Axel nodded and turned the key slightly. The truck still wouldn't start. "Damn it…" Rigby sighed. Alpha watched Rigby as his head disappeared under the hood again. "Okay…" Rigby wiped some dirt off of his paws and moved back a bit. "Try it now." Rigby said. "Alright." Axel nodded and turned the key.

Miraculously, the truck started. "Oh, yes!" Rigby hi-fived Alpha. Alpha shut the hood and glanced inside the truck. "The lights in the truck work too." He said, walking back over to Rigby. Suddenly, just as fast as the happiness began, it died down when the sound of rattling echoed in the front of the car.

Rigby popped open the hood and coughed. "Damn! I think the engine's blown!" Rigby stepped back. Alpha pushed past and checked the engine. "What do we do now!?" Alpha shouted. Axel walked over and crossed his arms. "We almost fixed it…" Rigby sighed. "Damn it Rigby, every goddamn time." Alpha walked away.

"Don't worry about him." Axel shrugged and followed Alpha back into the Inn. Rigby shut the hood and crossed his arms. "Damn it, so close." He muttered. Rigby walked to the driver's side of the truck and opened the door. The raccoon jumped up into the driver's seat and shut the door. He glanced at the truck. "We wouldn't have been able to fit all seven of us in it…I think." Rigby scratched his head, as he looked at the interior of the truck.

Rigby put his paws under the seat and began searching for anything useful. "Empty packet of…um…these things…" Rigby muttered to himself, as he held a small empty packet of food. He threw it away and continued searching. "A pack of smokes." Rigby put the pack in his hoodie pocket and searched for more stuff.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the window of the truck. Rigby sat back up and looked out the window. "Oh, it's just you." Rigby said, opening the door. "Hey Margaret." He greeted, jumping down from the truck and shutting the door. "Hey Rigby, I heard the commotion. You alright?" She asked, glancing at the truck. "Yeah…" Rigby sighed. "Alpha seems pretty pissed at you." Margaret looked back at the Inn.

"Yeah, I kinda blew the truck's engine up." Rigby sighed. "What?" Margaret chuckled. "How does someone manage that?" She walked over to the front of the truck and popped the hood. The smoke had dissipated, so she could see the engine clearly. "Damn, you broke it pretty badly." She said, glancing at the raccoon. "How can you tell?" Rigby asked, looking at the engine. "Well, it's pretty obvious." Margaret shut the hood.

Rigby shook his head and put his paws into his pockets. "I'm not good with this sort of stuff." Rigby sighed. "Well…" Margaret began walking back to the Inn. "Why not practice? We've got time." She shrugged. Rigby just rolled his eyes and followed her into the Inn.

Rigby entered the Inn and closed the door quietly behind him. Margaret walked upstairs with Vivian, while Rigby walked into the room with the fireplace. "…yeah. I'm sure." Sean laughed. "Well, it's true." Mordecai rolled his eyes. "Hey." Rigby greeted, sitting beside Sean. "Long time no see." Sean smirked. "I've only been gone an hour." Rigby held his hands above the fire to keep himself warm.

"What were you doing outside?" Mordecai asked. "Trying to fix the truck." Rigby replied. "Well, were you able to fix it?" Mordecai asked. "No…I kinda blew the engine up." Rigby sighed. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you can fix it." Mordecai assured him. "No…the engine's blown dude. The truck is fucked." Rigby frowned. "No need to swear man, we got a kid." Mordecai raised a brow. "Its fine, I don't care." Sean shrugged. "You're still too young for it." Mordecai shook his head. "Hasn't stopped him before." Sean hi-fived Rigby.

Mordecai rolled his eyes and looked at the fire. "There's no need to worry so much about me." Sean said. "You're just a kid…I'm surprised you lasted this long. The only reason you survived, was because of your intelligence, and your ability to think. Unlike this guy." Mordecai pointed at Rigby. "Hey!" Rigby growled. "Mordecai, I know you're just trying to protect me, but I'm old enough to protect myself." Sean continued.

"I guess, but you still need a guardian." Rigby agreed. Sean shrugged and stood up. "Where are you going?" Mordecai asked. "Just going for a piss. I'll be back in a second." Sean answered, walking towards the door. Mordecai stood up. "Do I really need help? Seriously. I'll be back." Sean walked out. Mordecai sat back down. "I know what you're trying to do." Rigby leant against the couch and glanced at his friend. Mordecai just stayed silent.

"Mordecai…?" Rigby could tell that Mordecai was in deep thought. "Look…man…remember when we were at that storage place a few months ago?" Mordecai asked. "Yeah…I remember." Rigby held his shoulder. "Well…while we were there, you wished that you and I had a child, do you remember that?" Mordecai continued. "Yeah, but…where are you going with this?" Rigby smirked. "I think…we can do this. Raise Sean. We can raise him properly. Not like how we were raised." Mordecai began.

"We can teach him how to survive, use a weapon and maybe even teach him how to shoot a gun…" Mordecai continued. "He already knows that." Rigby interrupted. "Not properly." Mordecai countered. "And besides, we don't want him dying. We need to put his needs above anyone else's, even our own. Do you understand?" Mordecai asked, with a serious tone.

"Yes, completely." Rigby nodded. Mordecai crawled over and hugged his friend. "We're all going to make this." Mordecai muttered. "I know." Rigby sighed. Rigby pulled away and sat back down, while Sean quietly entered the Inn. Sean walked in and sat beside the fire.

"I miss Eileen." Sean sighed. "What makes you think of her?" Rigby asked. "Just…all this silence." Sean replied. "Yeah. Silence isn't common under these circumstances." Mordecai shrugged. The sound of furniture being moved upstairs echoed through the Inn.

"See what I mean?" Mordecai looked at the ceiling. "Whatever happened to her anyway? I never was told where she went." Sean asked, crossing his arms. The wolf glanced at the fire, waiting for an answer.

"Eileen thought herself and Fives could survive away from us." Rigby answered. The raccoon scratched behind one of his ears, while Sean looked at him with a suspicious glance.

"That can't be the whole reason." Sean raised a brow. "It isn't…" Rigby sighed. "Eileen was a smart girl. Clever, if you will. But…she became extremely stubborn. She thought that she and Fives wouldn't survive another day with us." Mordecai began. "So…she decided to leave, early one morning. She said her goodbyes and told us where she was going, in case we ever wanted to visit." Mordecai continued.

"And…she took Fives with her." Rigby finished his sentence. "So…where did they go?" Sean asked, intrigued. "Dunno, she just said up north." Rigby replied. "Well, how are we supposed to find her? If she expected us to visit her." Sean crossed his arms. "It's…complicated. I'm sure we'll see them someday…same with Taylor, and her son." Mordecai explained.

"Sure." Sean replied, sarcastically. "God…just bring it over there!" Alpha's muffled voice was heard upstairs. "I'm…trying!" Axel's muffled voice followed. "We're coming apart at the seams." Mordecai sighed. "I'll go upstairs and help out with whatever they're doing." Mordecai stood up and walked upstairs.

Rigby and Sean glanced at each other. "You look tired." Rigby commented, glancing at the wolf. "I am." Sean yawned. "Why not get some sleep? I mean, we're not leaving anytime soon." Rigby glanced at the ceiling, the sound of furniture being moved continued to echo through the inn.

Sean just nodded and leant on Rigby's shoulder. Rigby smiled at Sean and slowly stroked his hair. "That's extremely creepy." Sean commented, as he closed his eyes. "I can stop anytime." Rigby grinned. "Don't you dare." Sean chuckled. Rigby smiled at him. Sean closed his eyes and fell asleep, while Rigby glanced at the stairs.

Mordecai walked up the stairs and into one of the rooms. "There." Alpha said, pushing a couch to the side of the room. "Hey, what are you guys doing up here?" Mordecai asked, entering the room. "Just moving some furniture." Axel replied, sitting on the newly-moved couch. "For what reason?" Mordecai asked. "Well, so we can make a camp up here, in case we need to." Axel replied.

"In case any walkers cover the bottom floor. We could block the stairs with a piece of furniture. Then we could camp up here." Vivian explained, placing a lamp on a nearby shelf. "Smart." Mordecai nodded, looking at Margaret, who was leaning against the wall. "Need any help?" Mordecai asked, walking over to Alpha. "Well, as you can see. We've already sorted it out." Alpha replied, harshly.

"Whatever man, just trying to help." Mordecai shook his head. "Hey, Mordecai. I found this." Axel walked over and held a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "I thought maybe you'd like a swig." Axel continued. "Where'd you find this?" Mordecai asked. "It's an Inn, dude. There was a whole fridge behind the bar." Axel answered. "Is there any other bottles?" Mordecai questioned. "No, this was the last one." Axel handed it over. "Didn't you say there was a fridge full of them?" Mordecai asked, taking the bottle from him. "No, I just said I got it from a fridge behind the bar." Axel answered. "Alright then." Mordecai glanced at him. "Thanks." Mordecai watched Axel walk off. "Anyone want a swig?" Mordecai asked, holding the bottle up. "Yeah, I'll take one." Alpha replied, walking over to the blue jay.

Alpha grabbed the bottle off of Mordecai and quickly removed the lid. "Cheers." Alpha said, unenthusiastically taking a swig. Alpha handed the bottle over to Mordecai and sighed. "I'm sorry for being so…bossy. I'm just a little on edge…and stressed." Alpha apologized, crossing his arms. "It's fine, we're all stressed." Mordecai sighed. "Some more than others." Alpha glanced over at Margaret.

"Don't worry about her, she's a strong woman." Mordecai smiled at her. Margaret heard him and looked at him. She smiled and waved at him. "I'm gonna go see if Rigby wants one." Mordecai began to walk away. He stopped and turned around. "There's a nice warm fire downstairs, if you ever want to join us. That would be nice." Mordecai announced, before he walked down the stairs.

Margaret watched him go and glanced at Vivian. "I'm gonna go downstairs and get warm. That fire sounds like heaven." She said, getting off of the wall. "I'll join you." Vivian said, glancing at her. Margaret nodded and she walked downstairs, with Vivian following her close behind.

Axel watched them go and glanced at Alpha. "Maybe we should go down too, it'd be nice to rest for a while." Axel asked. "Sure, go ahead. I'll finish up here." Alpha replied. Axel nodded. "We'll be waiting." Axel smiled at Alpha, before slowly descending down the stairs. Alpha just sat down on the couch and scratched his head.

"What happens now…?" Alpha asked himself. "Do we stay here all day?" Alpha muttered. Alpha rubbed his forehead and stood up. "I guess I'll go down. It is pretty cold up here." Alpha said, walking over to the stairs.

"…behind the bar." Mordecai finished his sentence, while Alpha descended the stairs. "Well, I'll take a swig." Rigby grabbed the bottle from Mordecai's hands and unscrewed the lid. Alpha walked into the room and sat on the couch, behind Rigby. Rigby took a swig and handed the bottle back to his friend. "We should save that. Who knows when we'll need a drink?" Rigby suggested. "Good idea." Mordecai nodded. The blue jay slipped the bottle into his backpack and glanced at Alpha.

"There he is." Mordecai announced. "So…Alpha. What's the plan now? Do we stay here for the day? Leave in the morning?" Vivian asked. "I…I'm not sure. I mean, this place is secure." Alpha replied. "But we can't stay here forever, and we're low on food." Rigby explained. "We…we could probably stay the night and then leave in the morning." Alpha sighed.

"Good idea." Margaret agreed. "How much food do we have left?" Mordecai asked, opening his backpack. "Not sure, but not much." Margaret replied, opening her backpack.

The whole group began to open their backpacks, checking for food. "I got nothing." Vivian said, closing her backpack. "Same here." Margaret sighed, zipping her backpack shut. "I got a bag of Marshmallows." Sean announced, confidently pulling a packet of marshmallows out of his backpack.

"That won't last long." Mordecai commented, rummaging through his backpack. "We could roast these, you know." Sean countered. "Yeah, I guess we could." Rigby shrugged, shutting his backpack. "Oh, I didn't know I had this." Rigby checked the pocket of his backpack and pulled out a can-opener.

"We got it from Ann, remember?" Mordecai pulled out an empty can of food and threw it away. Rigby nodded and put it in the pocket of his hoodie.

"Unless you want empty cans, I got nothing." Mordecai announced, shutting his backpack. "How could we let this happen? We have nothing!" Alpha exclaimed, shutting his backpack. Axel just shook his head and shut his bag. "All we got are those." Alpha glanced at the bag of marshmallows. "Let's fight for the marshmallows!" Mordecai chuckled. The whole group stared at the bag of marshmallows.

"I was kidding." Mordecai sighed. "Why don't you guys go grab some sticks? We can roast them then." Sean suggested. "Yeah. Good idea." Mordecai stood up. "Come on, I'm not getting all of your sticks." Mordecai walked over to the door, followed by Rigby and Alpha.

A few minutes later, the three men returned and sat beside the fire. Each of them took a few marshmallows, put them on the end of their sticks and began roasting them. Sean finished roasting his first and began eating his. "How does it taste?" Mordecai asked, glancing at Sean. "Amazing." Sean replied, taking a second marshmallow off of the stick.

"I used to do this all the time." Sean said, holding the marshmallow in his paw. "Same here." Rigby looked over at the wolf. "Ha! Since when?" Mordecai exclaimed. "Since forever!" Rigby threw his hands up. "Not with me." Mordecai chuckled. "Actually, we did. Mordecai." Margaret grinned at him. "Only once." Mordecai glanced at the fire. "With that deer man? Thing…" Rigby asked. "Yeah." Mordecai replied.

"That kinda turned me off camping." Rigby chuckled. "So…you used to camp before that?" Sean asked. "Yeah, usually alone though." Rigby answered. "That sucks." Sean threw his stick onto the fire. "Yeah, it does." Rigby pulled his final marshmallow off of the stick and threw his stick onto the fire.

"Ha! I love these." Alpha commented, swallowing another marshmallow. "Anyone sane does." Rigby smiled at Alpha. "See? He's not always a cranky shit." Mordecai laughed. Alpha chuckled slightly and grabbed the packet of marshmallows. "Hey!" Sean exclaimed. "I wanted a few more." Alpha pulled a few out and handed the packet back. "Fine." Sean grabbed the packet and slipped it into his bag.

"What time is it?" Mordecai asked, glancing at Rigby. "It's just past midday." Rigby answered, looking down at his watch. "Wow, I thought it was later than that." Vivian threw her stick into the fire.

After a few minutes, everyone had finished their marshmallows and had thrown their sticks into the fire. The seven survivors sat around the fire, in silence.

"So…" Sean broke the silence. "What do we do for the rest of the day?" Sean finished. "Not sure. There isn't much to do." Alpha stood up and glanced at the truck. "Think the truck is fixable?" Alpha asked. "No, the engine's destroyed." Margaret answered. Alpha leant against a nearby wall and crossed his arms.

Rigby opened his backpack and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" Rigby asked, glancing at his friend. "No, thanks." Mordecai answered. Rigby stood up and closed his backpack. "Your loss." Rigby threw his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm going out for a smoke, if anyone needs me." Rigby said, walking over to the front door.

"I'll come." Alpha said, following him outside. "I didn't know he smoked." Mordecai smirked. "Yeah, Fives used to give us all a pack after he went out getting supplies." Margaret began. "He'd always give Rigby an extra one." She continued. Mordecai just shrugged. "I guess he can smoke if he wants. It isn't my call." Mordecai sighed. "Yeah, it isn't." Axel looked over at the blue jay.

_Meanwhile_

Rigby leant against the back of the truck and lit a cigarette. "Why'd you want to come?" Rigby asked, looking at the wolf suspiciously. "Look…I needed to talk to you about the group." Alpha began. Alpha outstretched his hand. "Here." Rigby handed over a cigarette. Alpha placed it in his mouth and Rigby lit it for him.

"So…is there something wrong with the group?" Rigby asked, breathing out a puff of smoke. "Not exactly, I just wanted to ask for advice." Alpha replied. "Why are you asking me? I'm just a failure." Rigby sighed. "No, you're not. All kids make mistakes." Alpha took the cigarette out of his mouth and held it in his hand. "I'm not a kid. I'm 29." Rigby raised a brow.

Alpha pat his chest. "In here…and your mind." Alpha then pointed to his head. "You're still a kid." Alpha continued. "Don't get all 'deep' on me, Alpha. Keep your shit together." Rigby laughed, throwing his cigarette onto the ground and crushing it with his foot.

"Ah! Shit that burnt me!" Rigby exclaimed patting his foot. "See, an adult wouldn't do that." Alpha grinned. "Stop talking!" Rigby exclaimed. Alpha continued to chuckle. "Look, Rigby. Let's get back to the topic at hand." Alpha threw his cigarette away and coughed.

"I'm all ears." Rigby glanced at Alpha, casually. Alpha scratched his head. "I forgot…" Alpha said, quietly. "Ha! See, _an adult wouldn't do that._" Rigby mocked. "Shut up." Alpha grinned slightly.

"Oh! I remember." Alpha announced. Rigby glanced at him, waiting for him to begin. "Okay, I just had a few questions about what we should do next. I'm not really doing well as a leader, and I could use some advice from a good friend." Alpha explained. "Isn't Mordecai your 'good friend'?" Rigby asked, frowning slightly. "Well…no. You are." Alpha answered. "Well, I'm flattered." Rigby crossed his arms.

"I'm sure." Alpha smirked. "Okay…well. To be honest, I'm not sure why we came up north in the first place. And…I mean, is there any landmarks around here?" Rigby looked around. "All you can see is the frozen lake, and the tops of trees." Rigby continued. He pointed over to the lake. He suddenly dropped his hand and placed his hand on his gun, which was holstered on his hip.

"What is it?" Alpha asked, confused. "There's someone across the lake." Rigby pulled out his gun and aimed it across the lake. "Don't shoot him then!" Alpha glanced at the gun. "I'm not. I'm using the aim of the gun (A/N: I dunno what its called.), so I can see him." Rigby replied, looking through the sight of the pistol.

"It's a girl." Rigby announced, glancing at Alpha. "And she's got walkers after her. We've gotta help her!" Rigby shouted, putting his gun back into its holster. "What can we do? Cross the lake again?" Alpha questioned. The wolf stared at Rigby, as if he was insane.

"Precisely." Rigby said, running over to the lake. "Get back here!" Alpha shouted, running after him. Rigby ran down to the lake and stopped at the bank of it. "We need to help her." Rigby said, looking at Alpha. "But…you'll fall through the ice." Alpha warned, watching Rigby drop his backpack to the ground.

"I won't…and even if I do. I think I'll be fine. I've got fur to protect me." Rigby said, glancing at the ice. "Fur doesn't do that much for you." Alpha said, outstretching his fur-covered hand. "Sure." Rigby pushed Alpha's hand out of the way. "I'm going over there." Rigby said, placing one foot on the ice. "Let me come with you then!" Alpha exclaimed, throwing his backpack onto the ground beside Rigby's.

"Are you sure?" Rigby asked, looking at Alpha. "I'm sure." Alpha nodded. "Okay…I'll go first." Rigby said, putting a second foot on the ice. "Wait until I say go, then begin walking across the ice at the same pace as me." Rigby ordered.

Alpha nodded and watched Rigby walked across the ice slowly. Alpha grabbed his knife from his backpack and watched Rigby tread across the ice. Alpha noticed Rigby turn around and wave at him, indicating him to begin moving. Alpha took one step and placed one foot onto the ice. He breathed out a huff of air, and looked ahead.

"This isn't gonna end well…"

**Well! Count this chapter as an apology for the failure of a chapter the previous one was!**

**Thanks for reading! Alpha belongs to AeroAlpha, the author of the TaWoG story, 'Starting Anew'. Go ahead and check it out!**

**Thanks for reading everyone! This chapter is the longest one I've written in a while! With a total of 3838 words!**

**See you soon!**

**RSM**


	14. Episode Fourteen: A New Leaf

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Three: Cutting Losses and Letting Go**

**Episode Three: A New Leaf**

**12****th**** of May, 2024, Late Afternoon**

**Day 298**

Alpha shivered as he stepped on the ice. He had a bad feeling that this wouldn't end well, and had a right to be. Who was this woman? Was it worth saving her, or risking their lives? He thought about all of these things, but brushed them away and began focusing on crossing the ice.

He stopped for a second, then looked up. Rigby was slowly crossing the ice, holding his gun in his right hand. Alpha paid his attention to the girl across the lake. She'd given up at attacking the zombies and began slowly walking across.

"You! You help yes?" She shouted at the two men, a look of pure fear on her face, as she looked over at them. "Yes! We're coming to help." Rigby answered. "I thank you." She quietly replied, glancing behind her.

Rigby pulled out his gun, and aimed it at a walker that was closing in on her. He squeezed the trigger steadily and shot the zombie in the head. Another zombie walked close to its body and tripped over it, sending both of the walkers into the freezing water below.

"Come this way!" Rigby shouted. "I am, yes." She replied, glancing at Rigby. Rigby looked back at Alpha, who was quite a fair way behind him. Suddenly, the girl screamed. Rigby looked back at the girl and raised his gun. Rigby lowered the gun and looked at the girl in shock. A walker had come up behind her and bit her on the shoulder.

Rigby quickly raised his gun and shot the walker, and the girl kept walking forward, with a slight limp. "She's been bit, what can we do?" Alpha asked, stopping. "We can't go over there." Rigby looked back at him. "Help, please." She begged.

"What do we do?" Rigby asked. Alpha just shrugged. Rigby stopped and turned around. "Where you go? Come help." The girl asked, confused. "Your bit, we can't do anything." Alpha said, following Rigby carefully. "I can come back, yes? And you can help! Yes!" She exclaimed.

"We can't do anything for you. There's no cure for a bite. And besides, we can't risk it." Rigby answered. The girl just sighed. Rigby turned around. "I'm sorry." He apologized.

Back in the Inn, Mordecai and Axel were standing at the door. After hearing the shots, they wanted to be sure nobody got in. "Are Rigby and Alpha upstairs?" Sean asked, glancing at the two men. "Not sure, don't worry about it though. I'm sure they're fine." Mordecai replied.

A few minutes later, the door was being pushed open. Mordecai and Axel stepped back and raised their guns. Rigby and Alpha walked in. "No need for that." Rigby said, looking at the guns. Axel and Mordecai lowered their guns. "What happened out there?" Mordecai asked.

"We heard shots." Axel said. "Yeah, this girl was on the other side of the lake. We tried to save her…" Alpha began. "…but while she was crossing over this way, she got bit." Rigby finished. "Where is she now?" Axel asked, glancing out the window.

"Rigby…Rigby shot her." Alpha answered. "You, killed her?" Axel folded his arms. "There was nothing else I could've done for her. It's not like you can cure a bite." Rigby holstered his gun. "Good point." Sean walked over. "Sean, this is adult talk." Mordecai scolded him.

"But I _am_ an adult." Sean argued. "You're a kid." Mordecai countered. "Well, technically he's an adult, mentally." Rigby pointed to his head. "What does that even mean?" Axel asked, confused. "It means exactly what it sounds like." Rigby replied.

Alpha walked over to the fire and sat beside it. "I'm gonna go join him." Rigby said, following Alpha over.

"You know Sean, you may _think_ that you are an adult. But really, you're a kid." Mordecai explained. "Whatever." Sean walked back over to the camp. Axel and Mordecai exchanged glances and walked over to the fire.

"You know something?" Vivian asked Margaret. "What is it?" Margaret glanced at her. "I don't think, I've ever met people like you guys, ever." Vivian explained. "Why do you say that?" Axel asked, confused. "Well, this group is intact. And not falling apart. We've been in many groups before, and almost all of them have cracked from the inside." Vivian continued.

"Yeah, that's true." Axel folded his arms. "How many groups have you been with before?" Mordecai asked, intrigued. "More than we can count." Axel answered. Mordecai nodded and looked at the unlit fire in front of him.

"Hey Mordecai, I wanted to ask you something." Rigby began, looking at his friend. "Shoot." Mordecai replied. "Did you ever graduate from art school?" Rigby asked, curious. "Well…no." Mordecai replied, quietly. "Really? I assumed that you did." Rigby shrugged. Mordecai just remained quiet. "Sorry, just asking." Rigby sighed.

A few hours later, Sean laid awake, while everyone else was fast asleep. He shivered. He stood up quietly, a freezing gust of wind flew over him, causing him to shiver once again. Sean turned around, looking for the source of the sudden gust of wind. He noticed that a nearby window was ajar.

Sean quietly walked over to the window, he jumped up onto the couch below the window, so he could reach it. He grabbed the window and quietly shut it. Sean sat back down on the couch and yawned. He glanced down at the rest of the survivors, but noticed that Rigby wasn't there.

Sean got off the couch and scratched his head. He walked over to the front door of the Inn and opened it quietly. It was pitch black outside, and it was extremely freezing. Sean shivered. "Why am I out here…?" He asked himself, turning back around to walk back into the Inn.

But before Sean could walk back inside, he heard a voice coming from nearby. Sean turned back over and glanced at the frozen lake. Sean walked over quietly, and noticed a silhouette of a raccoon sitting on the bank. "…I just don't understand." He muttered to himself. "Rigby?" Sean said.

The raccoon turned around the glanced at Sean. "Hey Sean." Rigby greeted. Sean came over and sat beside him. "What are you doing out here?" Sean asked, looking over at Rigby. "I just needed some time alone." Rigby replied. "Out here? In the pitch black and freezing night?" Sean folded his arms. "Yeah, pretty much." Rigby shrugged.

"Why do you need time alone? Are you alright?" Sean questioned. "No…not really. I don't know if you know, but…there was this girl, right?" Rigby began. "She was on the other side of the lake, and Alpha and I were trying to help her. But while we walked over, she got bit and she begged for us to help her." Rigby continued.

"But…we couldn't risk bringing her back here to help her, and, there isn't a cure for it. So…I made the decision of putting her down." Rigby finished. "That was the right choice, but I understand why you need some time." Sean sympathised with him. "Thanks kid, that helps." Rigby smiled at him.

"Anytime." Sean replied. "Just one question. If you had the choice of shooting her, would you have?" Rigby asked. "I probably would have shot her too." Sean answered. "Think you would've had the guts?" Rigby raised a brow.

"Probably not." Sean chuckled softly. "Look kid, when you get older, you will have to make decisions that could affect the people around you." Rigby explained. "I understand that." Sean nodded. "And even if that means killing someone to save someone else, that's just going to be something you are gonna have to do." Rigby continued.

Sean just sighed. "The thing is, Sean. We don't have a plan. And people may think I'm stupid, but I can see that if we don't make a proper plan, we're not going to survive for much longer." Rigby explained. "People don't think you're stupid." Sean smirked. "Yeah, they do. And that's okay. But…seriously. We don't have a plan. I mean, when we leave this place…" Rigby pointed to the Inn. "…where do we go after that?" Rigby finished.

"Good point." Sean sighed. "Look Sean, I may not be able to see the future. But…I can see, just by looking at you now. That you will be the person who will make all the hard decisions, no matter the risk. Or…you know." Rigby sighed. "Why are you telling me all this?" Sean asked, slightly upset.

"Because, we've lost many people before, Sean. Remember in the beginning? We had…everybody." Rigby shed a tear. "You know…your dad was my best friend. And I think you know that." Rigby continued. "Yes, I do." Sean nodded. "And so was Felix. Even though you may not remember him." Rigby continued.

Sean just shrugged. "Long story short, people are going to die. Many people are. We aren't all going to survive this. So just be ready for that, alright?" Rigby advised, standing up. Sean watched him stand up and sighed. "Let's go back inside." Rigby said, rubbing his shoulder. Sean nodded and stood up.

"Come along." Rigby walked over to the Inn, while Sean followed him close behind. Rigby opened the door and let Sean pass through, then closed the door quietly. "You seem to be having lots of time alone." Sean commented, as they walked towards the resting survivors. "I guess I have been." Rigby replied.

Sean quietly walked over to the couch and climbed up onto it. He laid down on the armrest of the couch and glanced at Rigby, who sat beside him. "Well, big day tomorrow, I guess." Sean said. "I guess, but before we leave, I'll talk to Alpha about a plan." Rigby replied, leaning on the back of the couch. Sean nodded and closed his eyes.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning." Sean yawned. "Yeah, you too." Rigby sighed. Rigby leant on the other armrest and looked out the window. Eventually, he fell asleep on the armrest.

_The Next Morning_

The inhabitants of the Inn had all finished packing and were ready to leave. They waited outside, while Alpha and Rigby were talking about a plan. Mordecai folded his arms, he was beginning to lose patience and kept sneaking glances at Sean to make sure he was alright.

Eventually, Rigby and Alpha came back over to the group. "Well?" Mordecai asked. "We've…made a plan. It's not concrete, but it's the best we can come up with." Rigby explained, glancing at Alpha, urging him to continue.

The wolf cleared his throat and began explaining. "Okay, since there's not really a proper destination available, like a safe haven or something. Rigby and I made the decision of heading up north, instead of just walking anywhere, with no solid direction." Alpha began.

"Why up north?" Margaret asked, curiously. "Well, the reason why going up north is such a good idea, is because the walkers are a lot slower. Due to the extreme snow and freezing weather." Alpha replied.

"But, isn't this place good enough? It snows here." Mordecai looked at the frozen lake. "Yes, but it isn't cold enough for the walkers to freeze fast enough." Alpha continued.

"And how do you know that? You've never seen this happen, have you?" Mordecai asked. "Look Mordecai, just listen to him." Rigby looked up at the blue jay and shook his head.

Alpha cleared his throat again and continued. "So…that's pretty much it." Alpha shrugged. "Okay, so we go up north and then what?" Axel asked. "We're not sure yet, but all we know is that it's much safer up there than down here." Alpha answered. "Well, let's not waste any time." Vivian folded her arms.

Alpha nodded. "Let's go." He said, turning around. "Wait, which way is north?" Rigby asked. Alpha pulled out a compass from his backpack and glanced at it. He turned to the right and looked up. "That way." He pointed. "When did you have a compass?" Rigby asked, walking up to him. "I got it back at that museum last month, remember?" Alpha put the compass in his backpack.

"Oh yeah! I got this." Rigby pulled out a cowboy-like hat from his backpack. "What museum did we go to? The western museum or something?" Vivian asked. "Something like that." Alpha answered. Rigby glanced at the cowboy hat. "Hey Sean, you like cowboys?" Rigby asked. "Well, I do watch a lot of western movies, so I'd say so." Sean nodded.

"Well, why don't you wear this?" Rigby asked, handing the hat over to the kid. "Really?" Sean looked at the hat in awe. "Yeah, it's all yours." Rigby replied. Sean put the hat on his head. "Oh yes! I feel like a real cowboy!" Sean exclaimed. Mordecai folded his arms and watched Sean admire the hat.

Sean calmed down and hugged Rigby. "Thanks man, this hat is awesome!" Sean laughed. "No problem, now, let's get moving, before we freeze to death." Rigby pulled away. "Hey Sean, want to be helpful?" Alpha asked, turning around. "Yeah, what can I do?" Sean asked, glancing at the wolf. "Why don't you hold this compass for me, and keep heading in the direct of the N of the compass. Can you do that?" Alpha handed the compass over to the kid.

"Yeah!" Sean exclaimed, taking the compass and pointing it north. Sean walked ahead with Alpha, with Mordecai and Rigby walked behind them. While Vivian, Axel and Margaret were having a conversation of their own at the back of the line. "I can't believe you gave him your hat." Mordecai poked Rigby playfully. "Well…sometimes you have to sacrifice the things you love." Rigby sighed.

"It was just a hat." Mordecai smirked. "A cowboy hat, dude." Rigby folded his arms. "Don't you still like cowboys? And that western stuff?" Rigby asked.

"Obviously, but I don't obsess about it." Mordecai replied. "I'm not obsessive!" Rigby exclaimed, defensively. "Yeah you are! Ever since we watched that cowboy movie when were kids?" Mordecai chuckled. "You and I both know that you loved that movie just as much as me." Rigby threw his hands up. "Only because you were enjoying it so much. I only enjoyed watching you get excited every few seconds through the movie, it made me laugh." Mordecai chuckled. "Stop talking!" Rigby exclaimed.

"I'm guessing no one has a map." Mordecai said, catching Alpha's attention. "No." Alpha looked back. "Then how do we know where we are?" Rigby asked. "We just keep going up north, and when we need food or drink, we search for a town to stop at." Alpha explained. "But what if we don't find one?" Vivian asked. "We'll find one." Sean replied, looking back at the rest of the group.

Rigby looked up at Mordecai, with a plain look on his face. Mordecai just shrugged and continued walking. "But none of us have any food." Mordecai spoke up. Alpha just sighed. "I know, but I thought the marshmallows would last." Alpha looked back. "They're marshmallows." Rigby cocked an eyebrow.

"We just started, can we just wait for a while until we eat again?" Alpha asked. The group remained silent. "I'll take that as a yes." Alpha continued. "I'll make you a deal, if we see a town that is in close range, we'll go into it and loot it for food and drink and other necessities, is that fair?" Alpha asked, turning around.

"Sounds fair." Axel shrugged. "Good, now. Let's keep moving. This is gonna be a long trek." Alpha warned. Sean looked up at Alpha. Alpha glanced at Sean and smiled. "You look just like I did when I was your age." Alpha commented. "You were this handsome?" Sean admired himself. "Yeah, sure." Alpha chuckled.

"Looks like Sean's got an uncle, whaddya think?" Rigby glanced at Mordecai. "I think he does." Mordecai looked back at him. "Uncle Alpha, what do you think about that, Sean?" Rigby asked, catching Sean's attention. "Yeah! That sounds great." Sean exclaimed. Alpha looked back at Mordecai and Rigby and smiled at them.

"You would've really got along with my brother. He used to always act like a child." Alpha said. "We've already got one of those." Mordecai said. "Shut up!" Rigby punched his friend. His punches didn't do any effect and Mordecai just folded his arms.

"I probably would've liked your brother, seeming as he is technically my cousin." Sean shrugged. Alpha looked confused. "Because we're both wolves?" Sean was hoping that he'd understand. "I'm not sure that's how it works." Alpha smirked. "Oh whatever, I tried." Sean shrugged.

"Anyone teach you how to shoot?" Alpha turned to Sean. "I mean, any idiot with a finger can shoot." Alpha continued. "Not professionally." Sean answered. "Well, I'll have to teach you someday." Alpha replied. Sean nodded and glanced back at the compass.

"Hey, there's some smoke." Margaret pointed in front of them, above the trees. Alpha glanced up, and sure enough he could see smoke. "Might be a camp." Alpha said, glancing back at the group. Rigby took out his gun and held it. "We aren't going to kill this guy, right?" Sean asked, glancing at Alpha. "Of course not. We aren't murderers." Alpha answered.

Rigby drooped his head. "Be ready for a fight, just in case. Follow me quietly." Alpha ordered. The group continued to approach the smoke and eventually, a small fireplace came into view. Alpha hid behind a tree with Sean, Vivian, Axel and Margaret hid behind a nearby rock, and Mordecai and Rigby hid behind a few nearby trees.

Alpha glanced passed the side of the tree and looked at the fire. "Approach with caution." Alpha ordered, walking carefully passed the tree. The group approached the camp carefully and walked over to the fire.

The camp was empty. "A fire, but no people?" Rigby noted. "Either someone just left, or someone is still here." Mordecai said. Alpha glanced at the fire. "It's been recently lit." He made an observation. Suddenly, the sound of an unfamiliar voice was heard;

"Are you going to kill me?" 

**Sorry for the delay, I had major writer's block and school is a bit stressful, but nevertheless, here's another chapter for you people!**

**Vote in my Poll for what you think will happen at the end of Season three.**

**Peace!**

**-RegularShowMemorabilia**


	15. Episode Fifteen: Eye Candy

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Three: Cutting Losses and Letting Go**

**Episode Four: Eye Candy**

**13****th**** of May, 2024, Mid-Morning**

**Day 299**

The group heard it. A quiet voice asking if they were going to kill him/her. Margaret and Vivian walked up to Alpha. Rigby glanced at his taller friend. The group remained quiet until Mordecai spoke up.

"Noone is gonna hurt you." Mordecai said, looking around.

"Are you sure?" The voice asked. The voice was pretty close by, and it sounded like the voice of a child. "I mean, I've heard many people say that they weren't going to hurt me. But they have." The kid finished.

Rigby looked up at Mordecai, with a worried look on his face. He had noticed the sadness in the kid's voice. Then, Sean spoke up.

"We're not gonna hurt you. I promise." He said, standing up. Rigby glanced at him with a confused face. Mordecai just gave Sean the 'You've got to be kidding me' face. "What?" Sean asked him. Sean glanced at a bush beside him, which was rustling and crouched down. He opened the bushes and was met with the face of a kid. The kid looked frightened, and had no weapon in his hands.

Their faces were a finger length from each other and Sean backed off slightly. "Oh…Hi…" Sean greeted shyly, glancing at the kid. The kid remained silent and crawled out of the bush. Sean crawled back out of the bush and stood beside Mordecai.

"Hi." Sean greeted. The kid waved at him and glanced at Mordecai. "What's your name, kid?" Mordecai asked, crouching to the kid's level. The kid glanced at Sean and tilted his head.

"It's okay." Sean assured him. Sean folded his arms and glanced at Alpha, who was making himself comfortable beside the fire.

"L-Luke." The kid answered, with a nervous voice. The kid mirrored Sean's actions and folded his arms.

"There's no need to be nervous kid, we aren't gonna hurt you." Rigby looked at Luke. Luke rubbed his shoulder and sighed. "You look like me." Sean commented, eyeing Luke.

Luke was an eight year old wolf, with grey fur, looking almost exactly like Sean, except there was a scar under his right eye, and his eyes were a shade of light blue.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" Margaret asked.

"I wasn't alone before. I was camping out here with my dad." Luke replied, sitting on a nearby log.

"Where is your dad?" Mordecai asked, putting his backpack down on the ground beside him. "I mean, I assume he's still here." Mordecai added.

"He got bitten, he's been dead for…" Luke thought for a second. "…I don't even know how long." Luke finished.

"Oh! I'm sorry kid. I just assumed he was still here." Mordecai apologized.

"It's fine." Luke nodded. Luke glanced at the fireplace. "I could use some company, why don't you stay?" Luke asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course we can. We can't just leave a kid like you alone in the woods." Vivian looked at Mordecai. "I mean, we've got nothing to lose." Vivian continued.

Sean walked over to Luke and sat beside him on the log. He glanced at Mordecai. Mordecai noticed that everyone else was getting comfortable. "Sure. And we can bring him along with us." Mordecai sat down beside the fire.

Vivian and Axel helped Margaret sit down, beside Alpha, who was surveying the fire. He grabbed a nearby stick and threw it into the fire.

Sean glanced at Luke. "How long have you been out here alone?" Sean asked.

"Not sure, I think it's been about…two weeks since my dad died? But I can't be sure." Luke answered, a little less shy than he was before.

"Must be lonely out here." Sean said, sympathising with the other wolf.

"Not really, I've become used to it." Luke shrugged. He glanced over at Alpha, who was tending to the fire. "That your dad?" Luke asked, eyeing Alpha.

"No…he's just another wolf." Sean sighed. "My dad died in the first few months…same as my mom." Sean lost focus. Luke just looked at Sean in awe. "We were in a gas station…my mom went to the bathroom and didn't come out. I…I went in to see if she was alright." Sean explained. "She…she was bitten. My dad eventually came in and found the body of her…he took out the zombie who'd bitten her and knelt beside her." Sean continued.

"But…he was there too long. And my mom sunk her teeth into his neck." Sean finished. "Sorry Sean." Luke apologized.

"There's no need to apologize." Sean sighed. "I've gotten over their deaths." Sean continued. Luke nodded wearily. Silence followed after the conversation.

"How'd you get that scar?" Sean asked, curious. "It looks painful." Sean winced, as he glanced at it.

"I've had it for years." Luke replied. Sean nodded. "Wait, you didn't answer my question?" Sean cocked an eyebrow. "It's not important." Luke quieted down. Sean just shrugged and grabbed his backpack. He opened it and began rummaging through it.

"Hey. Want some marshmallows?" Sean asked, taking an almost empty pack of Marshmallows out of his backpack. "There's about five left." Sean continued.

"Yeah, that'd be cool." Luke answered. Sean reached into the packet and passed a few over. "Thanks." Luke smiled at him. "It's fine, they're only marshmallows." Sean smirked.

"So, I'm coming with you?" Luke guessed, looking over at Vivian. "I mean, she seems to think that I have to." Luke continued.

"Well, we can't just leave you out here on your own. And besides, it'd be nice to have a good friend to talk to. You know." Sean shrugged. "I'm the only kid in the group, as you can see." Sean sighed.

"Damn man, that's gotta suck." Luke folded his arms. "It does." Sean shifted uncomfortably on the log. Luke watched Sean close his backpack and rubbed his shoulder.

"Where are you from?" Luke asked. "I'm from California." Luke made conversation. "I'm from New York." Sean answered.

"I've never been to New York. Is it as nice as they say?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I guess. But it was still extremely busy." Sean shrugged. "Though I still miss it." Sean sighed. Sean stood up and threw his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go. I'll be back though." Sean assured the other wolf. Luke nodded and watched him walk away.

Mordecai noticed Sean walking over to him and greeted him. "Hey Sean. Making a new friend?" Mordecai asked, with a small smile on his face. "Yeah, he seems cool. He sorta reminds me of my dad." Sean said, folding his arms.

"Good for you, kid. It must be nice to meet another kid. It's been a long time." Mordecai nodded. "Yes, it's great." Sean cracked a smile.

"You alright, kid?" Mordecai asked. "You seem…unfocused." Mordecai noted.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a moment, if that's alright?" Sean asked, less confidently. "Just for a second." Sean added. Mordecai nodded and stood up.

Luke watched Sean and Mordecai walk away from the camp, but they were still in sight. They began talking and Luke folded his arms. Suddenly, the sound of gunshots echoed through the forest. Alpha glanced at the tree line and stood up.

"We should go, those shots sound close by." Alpha said, glancing over at Mordecai. Mordecai walked back over to the group with Sean.

Sean walked over to Luke. "Looks like it's time to move." Sean said, shrugging. "You still coming with us?" Sean asked, quietly.

"Sure. Just let me grab my things." Luke got off the log and ran over to a nearby bush and pulled out a small blue backpack and threw it over his shoulder.

"Alright, come on people. Let's go." Alpha began walking into the forest. "Alpha, just give us a second." Vivian helped Margaret stand up.

"You want to get shot?" Alpha turned back. After a few seconds of silence Alpha spoke up again. "I didn't think so, now come on." Alpha urged.

Mordecai walked over to Sean and Luke. "Stay close to us, alright? Don't fall behind." Mordecai ordered. "We don't want to lose you." Mordecai added.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Thanks." Sean glanced at Luke and watched Mordecai walk away. "Let's go then." Sean shrugged and followed Mordecai, with Luke right beside him.

"I'm starving." Rigby groaned. "We haven't eaten since yesterday." Rigby complained.

"Stop complaining, we'll stop at the first town we see. Alright? Is that fair?" Alpha asked, glancing back at the group.

"I guess. But there better be a town nearby." Rigby sighed. "I mean, we gotta be extremely lucky to actually find one out here. We're in the middle of the forest for Christ sakes." Rigby threw his hands up.

"There isn't a town for miles." Luke said.

"How do you know?" Axel asked, glancing at the kid. "I mean, you're just a kid." Axel shrugged.

"Axel, grow up." Vivian punched him in the shoulder. "That was uncalled for." Vivian glared at him. Axel just shrugged.

"Well, I know this area. My family and I always come down here every year." Luke explained. "We were down here when it happened. But we weren't camping." Luke continued. "We were at a restaurant nearby." Luke pointed in the direction they came from.

"We just came from a restaurant." Sean replied. "Or…an Inn. Not quite sure which one it was." Sean shrugged.

"Was it beside a lake?" Luke asked, curiously.

"Yeah, it was." Sean nodded.

"That was the Inn then. Anyway, I'm going off topic." Luke changed the subject. "There is a small rest stop close by. We used to go there all the time. It has a café and picnic grounds." Luke continued.

"Where is it?" Mordecai asked, glancing back at the two kids. "Which direction are we heading now?" Luke asked.

"Um…according to the compass." Sean pulled out a compass out from his pocket and glanced at it. "North." He added, putting the compass back in his pocket.

"Well, it shouldn't be too far. There is a small dirt road that branches off the main road and into the forest." Luke explained.

"How do we get to it from here?" Alpha asked. "I mean, I don't see any dirt road." He added.

"Just keep heading north and we should get to a dirt road. Then we just follow it to the rest stop." Luke explained. "It isn't that far. And it isn't that hard to find it either." Luke shrugged and continued to walk.

"Looks like you got some competition." Mordecai grinned at Sean. "Oh shut up." Sean folded his arms.

"What does he mean?" Luke asked, questionably. "Nevermind." Sean sighed. Luke just chuckled and looked ahead.

"It's freezing out here." Luke complained. "I wish I had a jacket." He sighed.

"You can wear mine. I don't need it." Sean suggested. "I've got thick fur, so the cold doesn't affect me as much." Sean added.

"Thanks for the offer…but I can't. Really." Luke argued. Luke looked at Sean. He took note of Sean's extremely serious face and shrugged. "Fine." Luke sighed. Sean took off his hoodie and handed it to his new friend. "Thanks." Luke smiled at him and slipped it on.

"It's no problem, really." Sean nodded.

Luke put his hands into his new hoodie's pockets and glanced at Sean. "I'm surprised that you don't have many other people in your group." Luke commented. "I mean, your group seems balanced." Luke shrugged.

"There were more of us." Sean sighed. "What happened to them?" Luke asked, curiously.

"Well, at the beginning, there was this family. They seemed to know Mordecai and Rigby." Sean pointed to the two friends in question in front of him. "There was this guy, his name was Felix. He had a wife and a child." Sean explained. "Well, Felix was shot. Then the family left the group to go find…'paradise' and we haven't seen them since." Sean continued.

"Then my mom and dad got killed, and it was just Mordecai, Rigby and I." Sean cleared his throat. "Then we got taken to this community…which was more like a prison. And we found Axel, Vivian and Alpha. Alpha being one of Rigby's childhood friends." Sean continued. "One of the people in the community helped us escape, but she got killed during the escape." Sean rubbed the back of his neck.

"Then after we escaped, all of us met up at some café in a town called Clinton. There were ten of us then." Sean continued. Luke was intrigued by how much Sean and his two friends; Mordecai and Rigby went through together. "Two of them left and headed up north. We haven't seen THEM either." Sean sighed.

Mordecai and Rigby glanced at each other, listening to the whole conversation. "Then we lost a good friend of ours crossing the frozen lake to get to the Inn." Sean adjusted his backpack, taking a small break.

"Then…then we found you." Sean sighed. "It's been a long ride." Sean added.

"I'd assume so. You've been through so much." Luke glanced at Sean, with a worried face. "It seems…too much." Luke folded his arms.

"It's not that much. I've been through worse." Sean replied, trying to make himself sound tougher.

"What can be worse than losing your whole family and most of your friends?" Luke furrowed an eyebrow. "I guess fortune smiles upon you to keep you alive for so long." Luke sighed.

"Well, that's very kind of you." Sean smiled at him. "I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for these two." Sean looked at Mordecai and Rigby. They both glanced back and smiled at the two. "You two are so cute." Rigby grinned.

Sean's smile turned into a confused frown and Luke just cocked an eyebrow. "It was a joke." Rigby rolled his eyes and turned back around. Luke just shrugged and glanced at Sean.

Sean looked back at Luke and scratched the back of his neck. "Think we're close yet?" Sean asked. "I mean, it can't be far now, right?" He added.

"It shouldn't be." Luke glanced at the group.

Less than half an hour later, the group managed to come across a dirt road. They followed the dirt road until they came across the 'rest stop'. "What the hell happened here!?" Rigby shouted. There was no café, just rubble, and all of the picnic tables were torn apart. And there were bodies of walkers and humans littering the ground.

"Woah…" Sean glanced at the mess. "This is the rest stop?" Sean glanced at Luke, with a confused face.

"This…this doesn't make sense. I was here yesterday grabbing supplies!" Luke shouted. "You were hunting for supplies. Alone?" Sean asked, confused.

"Yeah, what else could I do? I couldn't just sit at the camp and die." Luke folded his arms.

"Both of you shut up!" Alpha shouted, harshly. "What are we supposed to do now?" Alpha asked. "I guess we can follow the dirt road back to the main road." Mordecai suggested.

"What can we do then?" Alpha asked, folding his arms. "Just follow the road until we find a town?" Alpha added.

"It's a better plan than heading up north." Vivian commented.

"Now hey! We talked about this earlier!" Alpha shouted.

"Hey, dumbass. Keep your voice down." Luke spoke up. "You're gonna draw walkers." He added.

Alpha was taken aback by this. "Hey! _You_ don't tell me what to do. You're just a kid." Alpha glared at him.

"Your point has already been made." Luke glanced at Sean, who was eyeing him with disbelief. "And besides, you think fighting and shouting is gonna help the situation?" Luke glanced at Alpha.

"God, you're a dick." Alpha cursed. "Hey, there's no need to swear at a kid." Mordecai scolded him.

"The feeling's mutual." Luke smirked.

"If I had known you'd be a smartass, then I would've left you behind." Alpha said, coldly. He turned around and began walking down the dirt road, back towards the main road, with Vivian, Margaret and Axel following close behind.

"Why would you do that, kid?" Rigby asked, approaching Sean and Luke, with Mordecai.

"I don't know, I just thought he was being a dick, so I caught him out on it." Luke shrugged, before glancing at the blue jay and raccoon. "I was just trying to help." Luke sighed.

"There's no need to help, you're just a kid. Let the adults handle this, alright? You don't want to get on Alpha's bad side." Mordecai warned, before walking away. Rigby watched Mordecai walk away and turned back to the two kids.

"Sorry about my spouse here, he's just trying to help." Rigby apologized. "And don't worry, Sean and I both know that Alpha isn't a bad man. He's just trying to keep us safe." Rigby sighed.

"By shouting and drawing walkers? By arguing with the group? Yeah, he's _really_ trying to help." Luke replied, sarcastically. "If that's the way of helping the group, we're all going to end up dead." Luke narrowed his eyes.

Rigby just shook his head and caught up to Mordecai. "You seem…extremely smart for your age." Sean commented, as he began to walk with Luke beside him.

"Speak for yourself." Luke playfully punched his friend. "You're…almost as smart as me. You need work." Luke grinned. Sean scoffed.

"I could out-smart you off the face of the earth!" He shouted. "Not before I do." Luke chuckled. "Ha! I think we're gonna get along just fine." Sean sighed happily.

"We should probably catch up." Luke began to run down the dirt road, to catch up with the group. "Come on!" Luke urged him to come.

Sean stood still and stared at his friend. There was something about him…something about Luke that made Sean get a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Looking at him was like candy to his eyes, butterflies in his stomach. He pushed these feelings back and snapped back into real life. Sean ran after Luke and they caught back up to the group.

"I saw a sign." Alpha said to the group. "…And it opened up my eyes." Vivian chuckled.

Alpha rolled his eyes and continued talking. "It said that the closest town is Fowler. And that's about fifteen miles from here." Alpha explained. "So…when we get there it should be around…2 o'clock, right?" Alpha glanced at Rigby.

Rigby glanced at his wristwatch. "Around then, I guess." He shrugged.

"Good, then we'll make good time. But just remember, the town could be packed with walkers, bandits or survivors. We don't know yet. So when we get there, stay high on your guard." Alpha warned.

"Thanks for the advice." Vivian smiled at Alpha. "Sure." He nodded.

Suddenly, even with Vivian and Axel's help, Margaret fell onto the tarmac below. She groaned as she hit the ground. "Oh shit." Vivian and Axel helped her back up. Alpha turned back and glanced at her with an odd look.

"Is she still sick?" Alpha asked. "It's been over two days." Alpha added.

"Looks like it, we may need to stop soon." Vivian warned. "I mean, she's not gonna last long if we continuously keep going." Vivian continued.

"What do you know? What's even wrong with her?" Alpha asked. "Is she bitten?" Alpha asked, with less of a harsh tone than before.

"No, we all know she wasn't bitten." Axel replied. "She's just…sick. Noone else is a doctor here, so…" Axel trailed off.

"But you _do_ have basic medical training." Vivian glanced at Axel. "That's gotta count for something, right?" She asked.

Axel sighed. "Not really, it's just basic training. You know, the simple stuff. Bandaging wounds, taking care of infections and basic illnesses, the basic stuff." He explained.

"Nevermind all that, can she keep going?" Mordecai asked, glancing at Margaret with a worried look.

"I'm not sure." Axel sighed. "Possibly, but she may need to continuously stop." Axel noted.

Alpha just shook his head. "Let's just see how long she can go for. We need to get to town before it gets dark." Alpha replied.

"I'm sure we will, it's only half past twelve." Rigby checked his watch. "Let's just get a move on." Rigby added. Alpha glanced at the group one more time, before turning around and facing what looked like 'the never ending road' and letting out a small sigh.

"Come along guys, before we all freeze to death."

**Here's another uneventful chapter for you guys! Just what you all need! I'll see you in the next one guys.**


	16. Episode Sixteen: Slip of the Finger

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Three: Cutting Losses and Letting Go**

**Episode Five: Slip Of The Finger**

**13****th**** of May, 2024, Late Afternoon**

**Day 299**

The group had been travelling for ages along the road towards their destination; Fowler. A town that was 15 miles away from the rest stop they'd been to earlier, though to the group of survivors, it felt like much more than that. With Alpha at the front of the group with Sean, talking about life before the apocalypse, Vivian and Axel helping Margaret in the middle, making sure that she was still standing, and Mordecai, Rigby and Luke at the back.

The sun was close to setting and Alpha was beginning to worry. The town was still not in sight. He had to depend on good luck and quicker pacing to make sure that his group arrived at Fowler safely.

"Come on guys, we gotta get to town before sunset." Alpha turned back at the group, with Sean looking up at him with a worried look on his face. "It isn't a good idea to be out here after dark." Alpha added.

"It's not like we can go any faster. We can't rush Margaret any more than we already are." Vivian replied. "She can barely stand on her own." She wrapped her arm around Margaret's shoulder.

"I understand that. I just want to make sure we arrive safely. It's not safe out here in the dark, as I've already said." Alpha replied. "Can you see anything, Sean?" Alpha asked, glancing at the kid beside him.

"Nope. I can't see anything else." Sean answered, glancing down the road.

"We've been walking for forever. There has to be something." Rigby complained. "We're all exhausted." Rigby added.

Alpha just rolled his eyes and continued walking down the road. "Think we're-…" Alpha suddenly was interrupted by gunshots nearby. The gunshots came from down the road, in the direction the group was going.

"Was that a good sign or a bad sign?" Luke asked, running up to the front, standing beside Sean and Alpha.

"A bad sign." Alpha answered, as he continued walking. "We should pick up the pace." Alpha walked faster.

"We're heading in the direction of the shots?" Vivian asked, confused. "I mean, it isn't the best idea. Maybe we should consider a plan B." She added.

"This _is_ the plan! It's the only plan we've got. Do you have a better one? If you do, go ahead and enlighten us!" Alpha shouted.

"There's no need to shout, it was just a suggestion. Damn, get your panties outta your ass." Vivian glared at him, before turning her attention to Margaret, who was getting worse by the second.

"Think she's caught pneumonia or something?" Axel asked, glancing at his companion. "It's just a guess." Axel shrugged.

"I doubt it." Vivian replied.

A few minutes later, the group had noticed that the road had begun to slope down and they noticed lights, lit up in a row along a stretch of road, surrounded by buildings.

"Think that's Fowler?" Rigby asked, hoping it was. "It has to be right? We would've stumbled upon it by now." He added, folding his arms.

"It must be. Come on guys, before it gets too dark." Alpha glanced at the sky. The sun had already set and the moon had risen. It was almost completely pitch black. The group followed Alpha down the road and towards the town.

Alpha suddenly stopped and turned around. "I've got a better idea." He announced. "I recommend that only _some_ of us go in the town, and quickly secure us a place to camp for the night. So we don't risk everyone's lives going in." He suggested, glancing at Sean and Luke, who were standing beside a struggling Margaret.

"Mordecai, Rigby, come with me." Alpha beckoned. The blue jay and raccoon in question approached Alpha and glanced back at the kids. "Take care of them." Rigby glanced at Vivian and Axel. Vivian nodded and watched him turn back around.

Alpha, Mordecai and Rigby slowly approached the town, watching their step. One sudden noise, and they would be in deep trouble. The three men took cover behind a liquor store and Mordecai took a peek around the corner. He gasped and quickly hid back behind cover.

"What is it?" Rigby asked, beginning to get nervous.

"The whole street is covered in walkers. And there's someone in the liquor store." Mordecai tapped on the wall. "Don't raise your voice, it'll attract unwanted attention. Try to keep quiet." Mordecai ordered, peeking around the corner again.

The sound of bottles being thrown onto the ground and glass being smashed echoed through the town, attracting walkers to the liquor store. "You think the guy who is in the liquor store is trying to bring those thing on top of us?" Alpha asked, nervously.

"I don't think so. We were very discreet so it's very unlikely he saw us." Mordecai whispered back. "Alright, stick close behind me you too. Not a fucking peep." Mordecai went into a 'sprinting position' and glanced at the other two men. "Let's go." Mordecai quickly ran across the street and dove behind a half-built brick wall on the other side.

Rigby and Alpha soon followed soon, diving behind the wall. "What are we supposed to do now?" Rigby asked, taking out his gun and holding it against his chest. "Are we going to survive this?" Rigby asked, stuttering as he spoke. Anxiety was going to get the better of him.

"Of course we are." Mordecai rubbed the raccoon's shoulder. "Just do what I say and we should be fine." Mordecai quickly vaulted over the brick wall and peeked back over. "Stay there, alright? And whatever you do, don't use the guns. It'll attract unwanted attention." Mordecai said, his head disappearing behind the other side of the brick wall.

Mordecai stayed in the cover of dark and glanced at the liquor store, which was swarming with the undead, trying to get in. The blue jay looked the side of the building he was hiding behind and looked up. The name of the store; Sam Douglas had a majority of its letters torn off, and only four letters remained.

"Doug." Mordecai read out, cocking an eyebrow. "Ha, that's weird." He said to nobody in particular. Mordecai backed off slightly, but he accidently backed into a car. Mordecai gasped, hoping that the sound didn't attract any walkers.

After a few seconds of standing still, he realised that the sound didn't cause any problems. Mordecai turned to the fuel tank. He got an idea. The blue jay took off his backpack and unzipped it. He pulled out a bottle of wine and opened it. He quickly drank the remaining contents of the bottle and glanced back at the car.

He looked into the driver's side window and noticed that there was some fuel left. He quietly made his way to the side of the car with the fuel compartment and quietly opened the lid.

A few minutes later, he returned and shut the lid of the wine bottle. He had a bottle of fuel, which was only half full.

He thought that if he threw the bottle of fuel at the walkers, he'd be able to light a match and set them on fire, hopefully burning them to death. Mordecai thought for a second. If he did that, the man in the liquor store would probably burn to death too.

Mordecai considered his options and after a few seconds of thinking, let out a sigh and threw the bottle at the liquor store. "What the?" He heard Rigby say, as the raccoon looked over at the liquor store.

Mordecai quickly pulled out his matchbox and lit a match. The blue jay threw the match with all the power he could muster, at the walkers, which were soaked with gasoline.

The match landed directly in the puddle of gasoline and it quickly set alight, causing the walkers to fall back, as the fire burnt their flesh. Not long later, due to the excessive amount of snow, the fire suddenly dispersed.

"Ha! Nice!" Mordecai exclaimed quietly. Mordecai quickly used this distraction to sneak into the Sam Douglas store that he was hiding behind. He opened the door and quickly pulled out a match. He lit the match and searched the place.

Rigby and Alpha glanced over the wall, at the liquor store. "I didn't know walkers could burn to death." Rigby commented, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Neither did I." Alpha furrowed an eyebrow. The two men watched the walkers tumble down, one by one until all of them were dead. Rigby noticed his friend approach them, with a smile on his face. "Did you find anything?" Rigby asked, in a hopeful manner.

"Yep. Found us a camp." Mordecai pointed to the store. "You sure there's nobody in there?" Alpha asked, verifying.

"Yes, I'm sure." Mordecai answered, making his way to the store. "Rigby, go grab the rest, won't you?" Alpha said, vaulting over the wall. "Just bring them down to the store." Alpha added.

Rigby nodded and walked up the slope and back to the group. "It seems…we've found a place to stay." Rigby panted, as he climbed up the last part of the slope.

"Oh good, I was getting bored." Luke immediately perked up. The kid walked back over to the rest of the group, followed by Rigby. Vivian, Axel and Margaret were sitting together on the snow, while Sean was sitting on his own, a few feet away.

"Go get your friend, will you? I'll grab these guys." Rigby said, pointing to Sean. Luke nodded and ran over to the wolf. "Sean?" Luke tapped his friend on the shoulder.

Sean turned around and glanced at Luke. "Time to go?" Sean asked, standing up. "I guess." Luke shrugged, looking back at the group. Rigby was helping Vivian and Axel to get Margaret up.

She continued to stumble and had to have loads of assistance to get to her feet. "I'm worried about her." Sean glanced at Margaret, with a worried look on his face. "She's getting worse." He stretched for a moment and glanced at Luke, who was giving him a supportive smile.

"I'm sure she's fine. She could just have the flu or something." The kid shrugged. "She's strong." He added, walking back over to the group with Sean.

"Let's make a move guys, Alpha and Mordecai are waiting for us." Rigby said, walking down the slope, with everyone else following him slowly behind. "We're really lucky we found a place." Rigby added, as they made their way down.

The group approached the town, hoping that it was finally empty of walkers. Rigby clung on to that impossible fact and led the group into Fowler. The sound of gunshots startled the group and began to move faster, hoping that the shots weren't directed at them.

They approached the store where Alpha and Mordecai were and stopped. "Kids, stay behind the adults. We'll go in first." Axel said pushing the door open. Suddenly, Axel stumbled over something, he quickly picked himself up and glanced at the floor.

He continued to walk further into the store, with the rest of group. But suddenly stumbled over again. Suddenly, the sound of a gun being loaded startled Axel and a bullet pierced his neck.

"Holy shit!" Vivian shouted, dropping Margaret onto the ground. Axel held his hands on his neck and fell over. Vivian quickly ran to her friend's aid. "What the fuck!?" Mordecai's voice was heard. A light began to move through the store and over to the body. "What the hell happened!?" Mordecai exclaimed, putting the match onto the ground.

"Someone shot him!" Vivian's voice shouted, hysterically. "Did you shoot him?" She suddenly glared at the blue jay. "Why would I do that? And I don't even have a gun!" Mordecai quickly defended himself.

"Yeah you do, where is it?" Vivian asked, accusing Mordecai.

"I gave it to Alpha. He was just shooting a few zombies that had stumbled into the store." Mordecai answered. "That's why there are bodies near the door." Mordecai added.

Luke quickly felt up the wall for a light switch. Eventually he prevailed and the lights of the store came on. "Man! It's been a long time since we've had electricity!" He exclaimed.

"Holy shit." Sean looked at the end of the room. Alpha was standing there. He dropped the gun and held his head. "Alpha?" Sean exclaimed.

"I shot him! Oh my god…I thought he was one of them…" Alpha glanced at Axel, who was still clinging to life.

Mordecai stood up and walked over to Alpha, who was in a state of panic. "Calm down…" Mordecai tried to calm his friend down. "It's alright…" He quickly grabbed the gun from the ground and holstered it. Vivian was too busy saving Axel to understand what Alpha just said. His confession on shooting Axel.

Rigby quickly ran over to Axel and put both of his paws on the wound on his neck, putting pressure on it. Axel's cries died down and he breathed his last breath. "No…" Vivian held Axel's head. "Axel…? Come on…wake up…wake up…" She cried. Rigby stood up and backed off. He looked at his hands, they were drenched with blood, blood from how now-departed friend.

Vivian stood up and stumbled over. Mordecai and Rigby ran over to her, to try to keep her upright. "He's…he's dead." She cried. "Who…who did this?" She asked, glaring at the two men.

"Me…" Alpha confessed again. "I thought he was one of them…he came through the door! I thought I locked it…and he was…sorta limping! Which gave me the idea that it was another zombie…" Alpha explained, as the panic continued to set in.

Vivian's sadness suddenly dispersed and anger kicked in. She sprinted over to the wolf and pinned him against the wall, her hands around the wolf's neck, choking him to death. "No!" Mordecai shouted, running over to Vivian. He tried to pry her hands away from the wolf's neck. "Vivian let him go!" He shouted, pushing her back.

"Rigby, help me here!" Mordecai exclaimed, almost shouting. Rigby jumped up to Vivian and pulled her back, throwing both Rigby and Vivian onto the cold hard ground below them.

Alpha – struggling to breath – fell down the wall and sat on the ground, breathing big and sharp breathes. "I-I'm…s-sorry…" He said, in-between breathes.

Vivian slowly sat up and crouched on her knees, allowing for Rigby to stand up. "They're coming!" Luke announced, looking at the door. Walker's had heard the gunshot and were converging on the front door of the store. "Help me!" Luke shouted, using his full weight to push against the door with Sean.

Rigby ran over and assisted them. "Put something in front of the door!" Sean shouted. Rigby quickly ran back into the middle of the store, past Mordecai and grabbed a table. "Mordecai, help me with this!" Rigby shouted, struggling to lift the table.

Mordecai quickly took his eyes off Vivian and Alpha and helped his friend grab the table. "Move, kids!" Rigby shouted, as they approached the door. Sean and Luke quickly backed off, letting them pass through.

Rigby and Mordecai put the table upright and against the door. "That isn't going to hold for long…" Mordecai looked at the table, which was _already_ looking like it was going to collapse. "We have to find a way out of here." Mordecai glanced at Alpha, who had stood up.

Vivian had crawled over to Margaret and sat beside her. Margaret looked at Vivian, noticing her distraught face, she put her wing around her, and comforted her. "You gotta…let him go…" Margaret said, holding all of her pain in.

"Alpha…I know this is a bad time. But we have to find another way out of here. Otherwise we're all going to die." Mordecai looked at Alpha. "If you aren't gonna do it for me, or for Rigby. Do it for the kids." Mordecai looked over at Luke and Sean, who was hugging each other for comfort. "They're scared, Alpha." Mordecai added.

"I can't…I just murdered somebody…I can't go anywhere." Alpha pushed Mordecai's face away. "Please Alpha! We're all going to-…" The glass of the door suddenly smashed and the table began to move slightly.

Alpha noticed the faces of Sean and Luke, who thought they were going to die. Alpha looked at Vivian, who was still grieving. "Let's find a way out of here." He sighed.

Alpha looked around the newly-lit store. He noticed that there was a display case at the back. "I guess this place was a jewellery store." He said, walking over to the display case. "That doesn't matter, just help me find a way out!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"Fine! Jesus." Alpha frowned. After a few minutes of searching, Alpha returned to Mordecai. "There's no other windows. And no back door." Alpha said.

"Then we'll have to go out the front doors." Mordecai glanced at the table. "But we can't…" Mordecai argued with himself.

"We'll have to wait until the walkers leave. Or we could just go ahead and run through them." Rigby suggested, approaching Mordecai and Alpha.

"We can't run through them, we have two kids, a grieving woman, and a sick girl." Mordecai looked over at the four people in question, who were comforting each other. "So…I guess we'll have to wait this out." Mordecai sighed.

Mordecai walked over to the survivors with Rigby and Alpha and sat beside Vivian with Rigby. Alpha glanced at the six survivors, sitting together and walked over to them. Alpha sat beside the door.

Sean shuffled over to Alpha and tapped his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault." Sean reassured the wolf. "It was an accident, don't get yourself worked up over it." Sean frowned.

Alpha brushed Sean's paw away and shuffled closer to the door. Rigby glanced at Sean and shook his head. "Sean, just leave him…he just needs some time." Rigby said.

Sean sighed and leant against the wall of the jewellery store. The wolf closed his eyes and turned around, lying on the cold, hard floor under him. Luke glanced at Sean, and crawled over to him. The other kid leant against the wall and looked down at his friend. Luke ran his hand through Sean's hair awkwardly. He suddenly retracted his hand when he noticed that Sean had turned back over and was facing him. Rigby glanced at Luke and cocked an eyebrow, after seeing the interesting act.

Luke looked away and laid down beside his friend. He closed his eyes and eventually, the darkness took over and he finally fell asleep.

_Next Time, on A Regular Outbreak_

"_I found this in the jewellery store…I thought it'd look nice on you." Luke smiled, glancing at Sean. He handed over a necklace to his friend. "Thanks." Sean smiled back at him._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_Do you have ANY idea what you've done to me? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?!" Vivian pushed Alpha against a building. "You're going to pay." She muttered, raising her right fist._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_Thanks for telling me. That took guts." Sean hugged his friend. Luke pulled away and smiled at him. "I think it's gonna be okay. What do you think?" Luke asked, cracking a smile. "I'm not so sure about that…" Sean scratched the back of his neck._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_Pull the trigger Luke. You must." Sean urged him to. Luke's hands shook, as he held the gun in his hands. "I can't…" Luke held the gun still. "Luke, this is how the world is now. You have to learn how to-…" Luke suddenly pulled the trigger. He threw the gun down and Sean shook his head._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

"_You're gonna live through this…" He said, kneeling over the body. "I promised to make sure you were safe…and I'm gonna keep that promise…you hear me?" He grasped his hand. His hand went limp and he breathed his last breath. He hugged the body of the departed man. "I'm…sorry…" He cried._

_Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

**Finally! Another chapter for you guys! Season Three is finally over and I'm taking a break from writing. Oh my god, I've got 98 reviews? That's insane! Thanks for the constant support and constructive criticism, it's really helped this story. Without any of you guys, this story wouldn't have survived. Thanks guys. This next season is hopefully going to be MUCH better.**

**And yes, I know this chapter's logic was a bit…off, especially that scene with the bottle and the car. I ran out of ideas for that part.**

**Thanks for all the support! Since this stories beginning in July, I've had constant support and praise, along with the occasional criticism and negative comments. And now…turning into October. I hope we can have another great month of A Regular Outbreak. I'll see you soon, in the next chapter.**

**RSM**


	17. Episode Seventeen: Golden

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Four: Friendships Divided**

**Episode One: Golden**

**14****th**** of May, 2023, Early Morning**

**Two months before the Apocalypse**

Rain pelted against the window, droplets falling down the pane. The noise was almost deafening, to the kid that was desperately trying to sleep beside it. The kid grabbed a nearby pillow and covered his ear, while he laid on his other ear, trying to ignore it.

The kid groaned and threw the pillow away, he laid on his back and looked over at the window. It was pitch black outside. The kid leapt off his bed and scratched the back of his neck. How was he supposed to fall asleep with that deafening sound beside him? He tiptoed over to his door and slowly turned the knob, he pulled the door open quietly, and passed through it. He heard the door creak, as he shut the door behind him.

He glanced down both ways of the corridor that he'd just entered and looked ahead of him again. A door could be seen in front of him. He walked over to the door and slowly opened it. The kid passed through the door and shut it behind him. He'd just entered the bathroom. He walked over to the sink, which had a mirror above it. The kid crouched down and reached for a stool, which was laying against the wall below the sink and pulled it out.

He sat the stool in front of the sink and climbed up onto it, so he could look at himself at the mirror. The kid ruffled his hair and rubbed his eyes. "Come on Luke." He muttered to himself as he yawned once more. "You need to sleep. You know what the doctor said." Conversations continued to speak in his mind, of what occurred in the previous days.

The wolf shook his head and put his hand on the edge of the mirror. He opened the mirror cautiously and peered into a medicine cabinet that was behind the mirror. "Maybe I could take another one." He said, taking out a medicine bottle. He read the label; Melatonin. "Don't take more than one every night." He read out loud.

Luke kept arguing with himself. He needed to sleep, but was it worth the risk of taking another tablet? He opened the lid of the bottle and pulled out a tablet. He glanced at it and threw it into his mouth. He held it in his mouth for a moment, while he shut the bottle and put it back in the cabinet. He shut the mirror and looked down at the sink.

The wolf reached down and turned the faucet on, he put his hands under the faucet and collected some water. He held the water in his hands and brought it up to his mouth. He washed the tablet down and wiped his mouth.

"There, now I can get some sleep." Luke said, confidently, as he jumped down from the stool. The kid placed the stool back under the sink and stretched for a second. He glanced at the shower beside him. Maybe taking a shower would help him get to sleep quicker? "It would surely help." He said to himself.

Luke walked over to the bathroom door and locked it. The wolf walked back over to the shower and undressed. After undressing the kid stepped into the shower and switched it on.

The kid grabbed the soap and begun washing himself. "I'll make this quick, I got an exam tomorrow…" He muttered to himself, as he continued to wash. A few minutes later, Luke put the soap back where he found it and ran his hands through his hair. The wolf flattened his hair and turned the shower off.

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a nearby towel. He wrapped it around his waist and began drying himself.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and the wolf passed through in the pyjamas he wore before he stepped into the shower. He quietly shut the bathroom door and walked back over to his bedroom door. The wolf walked into his bedroom and sat on the side of his bed.

Luke laid down on his bed and pulled a blanket over himself. He reached down beside his bed and picked up the pillow he threw down earlier and placed it under his head. The kid closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of the rain pelting against the house intensified, making it almost impossible for the kid to sleep. The kid groaned as he continuously turned over, desperately trying to get to sleep. Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking emitted through the room.

Luke woke up to the sound of glass smashing. Shards of glass fell beside him, the window behind him had shattered and walkers was trying to get in. Luke took in his surroundings he noticed that he was in a jewellery store. He noticed a blue jay and another red bird were desperately trying to hold the door of the store shut. The table that was previously blocking the door was on the other side of the room.

Luke glanced at the other side of room, Vivian and Alpha were still arguing over what happened the previous night. The body of Axel was still in the store, the body was lying against a wall, in exactly the same spot where he fell. Luke glanced beside him and noticed Sean was lying beside him, but facing the opposite way.

The wolf crawled over to his friend and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sean…?" He whispered his name. The kid in question turned over and glanced at Luke. "Are you alright?" Luke asked, glancing at Sean's face.

"Yeah…what's going on?" Sean asked, glancing over at the door. Sean stood up slowly and glanced at his friend. "We should go help out." Sean added, helping his friend up. "Where's Rigby?" Sean asked, glancing at the door.

Fortunately, the blue jay and the red robin managed to hold the door shut. "I don't know! He went outside to loot supplies in the middle of the night. He hasn't come back." Mordecai said, in a panicked tone. "We don't even know if he's still in town." He added, glancing at the robin beside him.

"I haven't seen him all day!" She exclaimed, as she pushed against the door.

"…well you can't! So shut up!" Vivian shouted, pushing Alpha against the wall of the jewellery store. Alpha hit the wall with a thud and blocked his face. "You pointed the gun at him, I saw you!" She shouted, grabbing the collar of Alpha's shirt.

"Do you have ANY idea what you've done to me? Do you!?" Vivian ranted. "I'm not leaving this store, until I get vengeance." She lowered her voice. Alpha pushed her back and got off the wall.

"Listen, we can fight over this later! We have people that are depending on us to help them out. You can kill me later!" Alpha shouted, running past the two kids and to the door. "Any chance of getting through the crowd of walkers?" Alpha asked, as he approached the door.

"Not unless we push right through them." Margaret replied, pushing against the door with all her might. "Any other ideas?" She asked, glancing at Mordecai.

"Um…" Mordecai stuttered. The blue jay held the door shut while he thought of something. "I got nothing." Mordecai sighed.

Luke and Sean glanced at each other and backed off slightly. "Are we gonna die here?" Sean asked, glancing at Vivian, who was slumped against a wall behind him.

"Probably." She shrugged. "I mean, there's no way we can escape." She added.

"Dude!" Margaret shouted, scolding the other girl. "That's nothing to say to children!" She continued. "We're gonna survive, we've survived this long. We just have to figure out someth-…" Margaret was suddenly interrupted by a voice outside.

"…that's right! Come over here!" The voice shouted. "Come on! Come at me!" The voice continued to shout.

"Dude, that's Rigby." Mordecai said, glancing through a crack of the door. Sure enough, he was right. Rigby was on the roof of a building, opposite the jewellery store, waving his arms around. "Everyone keep quiet." Mordecai ordered.

The store was silent. The walkers began to slowly limp over to the building, in massive hordes. "Okay…good." Rigby said to himself. He stopped waving his arms and suddenly noticed something. "How am I gonna get out of this…?" He asked himself, glancing over the side of the building. The walkers were desperately trying to get up.

Mordecai looked back into the store. "Okay guys, collect any supplies you can find." He whispered. He repeated that a second time, making sure that everyone heard. "Got it?" He verified.

The group nodded. "Then let's go it." Mordecai got off the door and walked over to where he was resting prior to him holding the door shut. He grabbed his and Rigby's backpack. Since Rigby's backpack was smaller than his own, he just slipped Rigby's backpack into his own one. And slung the backpack over his shoulders and stood near the door.

Margaret grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. Vivian and Alpha grabbed their own backpacks and walked over to the door, trying to avoid each other.

Sean grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulders. "Alright lets…Luke?" Sean noticed that his friend wasn't beside him.

"Coming." Luke walked back over. He was at the other side of the store. Sean passed over his friend's backpack and they followed the rest of the group. "Alright, let's go." Mordecai opened the door quietly and passed through it. Rigby noticed the door open and his spouse walking through, followed by the rest of the group.

Rigby began waving his arms around again and shouting, making sure that the walkers didn't notice the group. "Come on!" Rigby shouted, kicking a box onto a walker. "Why did I just do that?" He asked himself. He glanced at the jewellery store. The group had left.

"Okay…now to get off this roof and find the group again." Rigby crouched and got into a sprinting position. He glanced at the liquor store, which was beside the building he was on. Rigby suddenly ran across the roof and jumped towards the liquor store.

Rigby didn't land on the actual roof, he had his paws on the edge. The raccoon desperately attempted to pull himself up. Eventually, he pulled himself up onto the roof and ran to the other side. He glanced at the ground. The walkers were slowly approaching the liquor store. Rigby leapt off the other side of the building and landed on the snow below.

Rigby stood up slowly and wiped some snow off of his face. "Okay…now where did they go?" Rigby asked, as he glanced around the corner of the store. The walkers were approaching.

Rigby looked down the road, to the right and noticed a figure waving at him. Rigby guessed it was Mordecai and quickly ran towards him, ignoring the risk of being bitten.

Rigby ran through the snow, eventually making it to the figure. "Oh…there you are." The figure spoke approaching. "Come Rigby, we gotta move, the groups already pretty far ahead." Mordecai explained.

"Why didn't they wait?" Rigby asked, panting as he approached his friend.

"They just want to get out of here, they aren't far." Mordecai began running down the road with his friend. "They better not be." Rigby said, panting.

Sure enough, the two friends caught up to the rest of the group, they weren't far away from the town. "Thanks for abandoning us!" Rigby exclaimed. "You just left us." Rigby added, folding his arms.

"Dude, Mordecai said that he'd wait for you to come while we continued down the road." Alpha explained. Mordecai opened his backpack and pulled his friend's smaller pack out of it. "Here." He said, handing it over and shutting his backpack.

"Thanks man." Rigby slung it over his shoulder. "So…what do we do now?" The raccoon asked, looking up at the blue jay. "I mean, we're still heading north, right?" Rigby asked, glancing at Alpha, who had his arms folded.

"We are, the plan hasn't changed." Alpha replied, unfolding his arms.

"The plan hasn't changed? How can you say that?" Vivian asked, glaring at the wolf.

"What do you mean by that?" Alpha asked, glancing at Vivian accusingly. "Nothing has changed! We stay the course and keep going north." Alpha pointed down the road.

"You still think that's the smartest idea?" Rigby asked, confused. "I mean, we've just lost another one of us." The raccoon pointed back to the town. "Why don't we just set a place that we can go? Instead of just saying that we're 'going north'?" Rigby suggested.

"It's a good point, but do you have any idea of a place we can go?" Alpha smirked. "I mean, it's not like any of you have actually been up there." Alpha added.

The group remained silent. "I didn't think so. But don't worry, it'll be much better up there than here." Alpha turned back around and continued walking down the road.

Luke and Sean glanced at each other, then at Vivian, who had her arms folded and would continuously glare at Alpha. "Think she'll be okay?" Sean asked his friend.

Mordecai and Rigby walked past them. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Luke comforted him. "But someone should keep an eye on her. She could kill him." Luke suggested.

"Yeah, I'm sure that they're aware of that." Sean shrugged. Luke just glanced back at the group. The two friends followed the group down the road.

Luke suddenly stopped and opened his backpack. "What're you doing?" Sean asked, turning around and glancing at the other kid.

"I found this in the jewellery store." Luke pulled out a golden necklace. "It might be a little girly, but I didn't have enough time to find anything better." Luke shrugged and handed it over to his friend.

"It's got a love heart on the bottom." Sean commented, placing the necklace around his neck. "It looks awesome though. Thanks." Sean turned back around. Luke closed his backpack and followed his friend down the road.

"Did anyone get anything good from the store?" Mordecai asked. "I assume there wasn't much, due to it being a jewellery store." Mordecai added.

"Nothing." Alpha glanced back.

"Same here." Margaret did the same. Vivian remained silent and Luke just shrugged.

"Great." Mordecai sighed.

"I managed to collect a few packets of chips from the town." Rigby said, pulling a few bags of chips from his pockets. "They're very small though." He added.

"Chuck them in your backpack, would you? We'll get more stuff at the next town." Mordecai looked back at the raccoon and smiled at him. "Sure." Rigby nodded and opened his small pack. The raccoon placed the bags of chips in it and zipped it back up.

"Alright, I reckon if we continue to follow this road, we'll probably reach a town sooner or later." Alpha explained.

"Alpha, all of your plans are getting worse and worse." Vivian glanced at the wolf. "'Go north! Go north! Board up the inn! Travel through a dark forest!'" Vivian mocked him.

"I'm only trying to help." Alpha replied, defensively. "I don't see _you_ making any real contributions." Alpha glanced back at the girl.

"There's no need to fight guys. Come on." Rigby intervened. "I mean, what's the point? Let's just stick to the road." Rigby added.

"Just leave each other alone." Margaret walked up to Alpha and stood in-between the two while they walked. "Rigby's right." Margaret agreed with the smaller male.

"Hmm Hmm." Rigby smirked.

"Let's just keep going, alright?" Alpha rolled his eyes. "I don't need this shit right now." He added.

Vivian remained silent and the group continued walking down the road. A large gust of wind blew past them, causing Sean to shiver. "Oh dude." He muttered to himself. "I'm freezing." He sighed.

Luke noticed this and glanced at him. "Do you want your hoodie back?" Luke asked, glancing at him with an apologetic look. "I mean, I don't need it." Luke added.

"I couldn't do that to you, it's freezing out here. And besides, you're younger than me." Sean replied. "But I-…" Luke tried to argue.

"I said no, but thanks anyway." Sean folded his arms and looked ahead again. Luke shrugged and continued walking beside his friend.

Rigby glanced back at the two kids. "Sean, you do realise that you're shirtless. In Colorado. When it's snowing." Rigby cocked an eyebrow. "Just let Luke give you the hoodie." Rigby turned back around.

"You heard him." Luke took off his hoodie and threw it to Sean. Sean quickly put it on.

"Thanks man." Sean looked over at Luke. "Though I wish you had one too." Sean added.

"It's fine, I used to always walk around with no shirt." Luke replied. Sean glanced at him with a confused face. "Oh, I thought everyone did it." Luke sighed.

"Well…I did for a while so…" Sean rubbed his shoulder. "It's not that embarrassing, it's just freezing out here." Sean commented.

"No shit." Vivian muttered under her breath.

Sean put his paws in his pockets and glanced at Luke. "If you ever need this hoodie, ask me alright? Unless we find another one for you." Sean explained.

"I will, thanks." Luke smiled back at him and glanced ahead of him again.

Alpha noticed a sign beside the road. "Look." He said, pointing to it. He walked over to the sign, while the rest of the group remained on the road.

Suddenly, moaning could be heard behind them.

"What the?" Mordecai looked behind him. The group turned back around and noticed a horde of walkers slowly walking down the road, following the group. "That's impossible, did they follow us?" Mordecai glanced at Alpha, with a confused face.

"They can't track…they just, roam, right?" Alpha glanced back at Mordecai with the same face.

"Let's not stick around to find out, come on. Let's go." Vivian said, rather calmly.

"Yeah, good idea." Alpha got back on the road. "Let's go!" He shouted, watching Vivian run ahead. Alpha ran after her, followed by the rest of the group. "What did the sign say!?" Mordecai exclaimed, looking over at Alpha while they ran.

"It read that there is a hotel nearby!" Alpha shouted back. "But I don't know which way it is!" He added.

"Let's just keep running until we lose those things, alright?" Vivian looked back at Alpha. Mordecai and Rigby exchanged glances. Alpha panted as he continued to run;

"Fine! Let's just hope that this is the right way!"

**Wow, here's another chapter for you guys. Sorry for it being a little overdue, I took a little break from writing. Was this a good chapter? Was it bad? Was it average? How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me? Review people! A few seconds of typing is all I need. It tells me to keep the story going and that I'm doing alright.**

**Positive, negative and criticism is welcome, but flamers aren't. And just another quick thing, when you review. Review the STORY and ABOUT the story, not about some random thing. Thanks for your cooperation.**

**See you next chapter.**


	18. Episode Eighteen: The Snow keeps falling

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Four: Friendships Divided**

**Episode Two: And the Snow keeps falling**

**15****th**** of May, 2024, Midnight**

**Quick A/N; Yes, I know that Margaret being fine is just random…the whole point of that, was that it contributed to several factors. She was freezing, exhausted and was in serious pain. These factors contributed to making her almost immobile. If that makes sense…**

The sky was pitch black, and snow continued to fall. The group had arrived at the hotel, only hours earlier, and none of them managed to fall asleep. Mordecai and Rigby bunked together in one of the rooms, Luke and Sean were in a room beside them, on separate beds, Alpha and Margaret shared a bed in the room beside Luke and Sean's room. And Vivian was by herself in the room beside that. Vivian lay awake in her room. She glanced around her. It was pitch black and she could hardly see anything.

The girl shivered and sat up on the bed. She glanced over at a nearby window and watched the snow collide with the window. It had been snowing for weeks, and there were no signs of it stopping. Vivian rubbed her eyes and blankly stared at the other side of the room. A burning rage continued to harbour inside of her soul. Her best friend; the only one who understood her, was shot dead.

The troubled woman kept having thoughts on wrapping her hands around the killer's neck. Avenging her brother's death. Though the rest of the group supported her, Alpha kept a distance away from her. He was sure she was going to snap at any point.

He had a right to be afraid. He had murdered someone in cold blood. Vivian had her doubts about it being an accident. He murdered Axel! Shot him right in the neck, and he was going to pay for that. Vivian had it on good authority that Alpha held a grudge against Axel. She didn't know what it was about, but she knew it.

Vivian laid back down on the bed and pulled the blankets over her body. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep. In the room beside her, Alpha never got to sleep. He had been lying awake since they arrived at the hotel. He felt extremely guilty for shooting his former acquaintance. The wolf turned over and glanced at the red robin lying beside him. He tapped her on the shoulder and she faced Alpha, clearly she'd not fallen asleep yet either.

"Mhhm, yeah…?" Margaret rubbed her eyes and glanced at the wolf. "Did you need something?" She yawned.

"I…just wanted to…talk for a second." Alpha rubbed the back of his neck. "I…just, I don't know what to do…" Alpha sighed.

"This is about Axel, right?" Margaret asked, running one of her wings through the wolf's hair. "Look Alpha…" Margaret retracted her wing. "You shot him, alright? He's dead, and there's nothing can do to change that. If you just leave Vivian alone for a while, maybe she'll get over it." The robin continued. "I mean, she can't hold a grudge on you for forever." She shrugged.

"You'd be surprised." Alpha sighed. "Wounds like that don't heal that fast. She's still grieving, though…and she still hates my guts. And you _know_ how many times she has tried to kill me today." Alpha replied. "She's gonna end up killing me at some point." Alpha added.

"You're overreacting." Margaret smirked. "Just leave it, I'm sure she'll be over it." She added.

"Over the death of her best friend? I doubt it." Alpha turned back over and faced away from the robin. "Goodnight I guess…" Alpha sighed. Margaret glanced at the wolf and shook her head. The robin turned over and faced away from the wolf and closed her eyes.

At the same time, the two kids of the group were talking. Both of them sitting on the sides of their beds. "…no, it's not." Sean shook his head and glanced over at Luke. Luke mirrored his actions.

"Yes. This 'plan' of yours just isn't working." Luke argued. "These people are fighting amongst themselves." Luke added.

"How do you know? You're just a kid." Sean folded his arms. "And besides, even if we are. There's nothing we can do about it." Sean sighed. "Whats the point of even talking about it?" The wolf glanced at him.

"Because I don't want to see anyone else die. Too many people have died already." Luke sighed. "And I don't want to see you get killed." Luke glanced at the other wolf. Sean noticed the distraught look on Luke's face and sighed.

"I won't get killed, and neither will anyone else." Sean reassured him. "I promise." He smiled at him. Luke glanced at Sean with a confused face. "What?" Sean asked.

"You can't promise something as impossible as that. It's not like you can control the group. Or fate." Luke shrugged.

"You're such a downer." Sean shook his head.

"Whatever, just take my advice." Luke rolled his eyes.

Nearby, the final two group members were lying next to each other. The smaller one of the two looked over at his taller friend. "Mordecai…?" He tapped him on the shoulder. "You awake?" He asked.

"I've been awake the whole time. I haven't slept a wink all night." Mordecai turned over and looked at his smaller companion. "You needed something?" The blue jay asked.

"I'm just concerned about Vivian." The raccoon explained. "She's…um…what's the word…?" Rigby asked.

"Unstable?" Mordecai suggested.

"Yeah, that's the word." The raccoon replied. "Can we do anything for her?" He asked.

"I don't think so, all people grieve differently. I assume she just wants vengeance on Alpha. He killed her best friend, dude." Mordecai explained. "So…that's fair, right?" Mordecai added.

"I guess, but is vengeance really the answer?" The raccoon asked.

"Well…not really. But as I said before, all people grieve differently." Mordecai replied. "I mean, you remember how we grieved when your brother got killed? And Riley? What about Felix and Micheal?" Mordecai named them all.

"God…I forgot all about them…" Rigby sighed. "I miss them all." He added. Mordecai shook his head and sat up. He leant against the back of the bed and folded his arms. "We couldn't have saved any of them, could we?" Rigby asked, leaning against the back of the bed, copying his friend.

"Don't worry about that dude." Mordecai rubbed his friend's shoulder. "Try not to think about that." He added.

"How can I not think about it?" Rigby looked up at the bird. "They're all gone…" He sighed.

"I know you can't NOT think about it, but think about this; we're still alive. And so is Sean." Mordecai explained. "We gotta stay strong for him. I ain't always gonna be here to convince you, aswell." Mordecai added.

"No, you aren't leaving." Rigby glared at his friend. "How dare you say such things." He scolded his friend.

"I was just-…" "Just go to sleep." Rigby interrupted him. "We got a big day tomorrow." The raccoon laid back on the bed and turned away from the blue jay.

"Night…" Mordecai frowned. "I love you…" Mordecai laid back on his side of the bed and turned away.

"You too." Rigby closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

Nobody got a good night's sleep that night.

A few hours later, the sun rose and light began passing through the windows of Sean and Luke's room. Sean turned over in his bed and yawned. The wolf opened his eyes. "Alright…time to…" Sean looked over at Luke's bed, but was surprised to notice that Luke wasn't in his bed.

"Luke?" Sean called his friend's name. "Dude?" Sean sat up on his bed. The kid stretched and glanced over at the bathroom door. He tiptoed over to the door and walked in. Luke wasn't in there. Sean looked over at the sink and turned on the faucet, but obviously no water came out.

The kid shook his head and turned his attention to his missing friend. "Luke!" Sean raised his voice. He walked back into the main room. The kid walked over to the door of the hotel room and pulled open the door.

"…maybe if I…no…" Sean breathed a sigh of relief to hear that his friend was alright. Sean noticed his friend downstairs, sitting in a car in the parking lot. The voice of his friend was muffled, so he couldn't hear him very well.

"He's talking to himself?" Sean cocked an eyebrow. The kid walked down the stairs and towards the car. Luke was too busy searching through the car for supplies that he didn't notice Sean approaching.

Luke reached under his chair and pulled out a bag of sour candy. "I mean, what if he doesn't accept?" Luke continued speaking to himself. He opened the bag of candy and peered inside. Sean crouched under Luke's window in the front of the car and listened to what Luke was saying.

"I mean, I can't just say; 'Oh hey! I've known you for a day or two, and I think I love you!'" Luke rolled his eyes and pulled out a handful of sour candies. Sean cocked an eyebrow and glanced up at the window of the car.

"I hope these aren't passed their use-by date." Luke threw a few in his mouth and put the packet in his backpack. "Maybe Sean'll like these. He mentioned earlier he did." Luke shrugged. Sean was too busy contemplating about what Luke was saying, that he didn't notice Luke open the door and smash Sean in the head, knocking him out.

"What the?" Luke glanced around the door. "Oh, shit." Luke quickly passed through the door and shut it behind him. "Dude?" He knelt over his friend's unconscious body.

"…yeah sure dude. I'll hold you to that." Mordecai laughed with his friend, as the door to his room opened and he passed through it with Rigby. Mordecai glanced over the balcony and noticed Sean's body on the cement below. "Oh dude." Mordecai ran down the stairs, with his friend following him close behind.

"What happened?" Mordecai asked, approaching the body.

"I don't know! I was just searching this car for supplies, and when I opened the door, it hit his head or something." Luke explained. "I didn't even know he was there." Luke added.

"He's just unconscious, so he's fine." Mordecai studied the wolf.

Mordecai glanced up at the hotel, after hearing the sound of another door opening. Alpha and Margaret passed through and glanced over the balcony. "I heard the commotion, what's going on?" Alpha asked.

"It's nothing important." Mordecai answered, glancing at Luke.

"I'll go wake up the she-devil, so we can get moving then." Alpha shrugged and slowly walked over to the room beside his. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open.

Eventually it did and Vivian glanced at Alpha. "What do you want, asshole?" She asked, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I think it's time to go." Alpha replied, unfazed by the insult. "We're ready when you are." Alpha rolled his eyes and walked down the stairs of the hotel. "You guys ready?" Alpha asked, approaching Mordecai and Rigby.

"Yeah, I'll carry him." Mordecai reached under Sean's back and picked him up. "Let's make a move." Mordecai glanced over at Rigby. Luke slowly approached the raccoon and stood beside him. The survivors glanced at Margaret and Vivian as they slowly descended the stairs.

"So…where are we going?" Vivian asked, glancing at the blue jay. "I assume we have a destination?" Vivian added.

"Yeah, we're thinking of heading down the road. There are a few towns between here and the northern border of Colorado." Mordecai explained.

"How do you know that?" The robin asked, with genuine curiosity.

"I used to vacation in Colorado. Not very often though." The blue jay shrugged. "Though, we didn't go further than the northern border." He added.

"That seems like a good idea." Alpha agreed.

"Nobody asked you." Vivian glanced over at the wolf.

"You just did!" Alpha exclaimed, throwing his arms up.

"Don't get fucking smart at me." Vivian threatened. "Remember your place with me." She added.

"Stop threatening me! I know you're pissed because I killed your friend, but it was accidental!" Alpha shouted.

"I doubt it." Vivian folded her arms. Mordecai and Rigby glanced at each other with worried looks. Luke glanced at Sean, whose ears were moving. Sean's eyes slowly opened. "He's awake." Sean pointed out.

"Put…me down…" Sean held his head for a second. Mordecai obliged and put the kid down slowly. Sean stumbled for a second and leant against the car. Luke glanced at him with a worried face, before turning back to the two fighting survivors.

"Yeah, and you're so perfect?" Vivian shouted.

"What are you even saying?! You don't even know what you're arguing about!" Alpha shouted back. Margaret approached Alpha. "If you're gonna try to win this argument, you have to actually know what you're saying." Alpha added.

"Oh…I oughta…" "Oughta what? What're you going to do? Kill me?" Alpha mocked her. "You don't have the _guts_!" Alpha growled at her.

"Come on guys! Stop arguing! We have a long journey to make, and we don't need this!" Rigby exclaimed. "This is just a petty fight! Seriously, get over it!" Rigby added.

"Shut up Rigby! I've heard enough out of you! Just let us settle this ourselves!" Vivian snapped at the raccoon.

Margaret pat Alpha on the shoulder. "Stop, just leave her." She whispered to him. "Please." She begged.

"No." He answered. "She needs to understand that she can't keep threatening to kill me." Alpha brushed her off. "Just…stand back." Alpha warned.

"You know, if I killed you right now, it'll all be over." Vivian explained. "Why not just let me end it all? Eh?" Vivian put a hand on her hip, trying to make Alpha think she had a gun, even though she didn't.

Alpha looked down at her hip and looked back up at her face. It was filled with anger. "You wouldn't." Alpha glared at her.

"Why not?" Vivian asked, confused.

"Because there are children here, plus the sound would already attract walkers." Alpha explained.

"Speaking of walkers…" Luke pointed down the road. The whole horde of walkers were slowly limping down the tarmac. "They must've followed us from Fowler." Sean said.

"I got nothing to lose then." Vivian closed her eyes for a second. She had to do it. She quickly reached over at Mordecai's hip, where his pistol was holstered and pulled it out. She aimed it at Alpha. She pulled the trigger a bullet came flying out.

There was only a few seconds to act. Margaret was closest and she only had one thing in mind; save Alpha's life.

"No!" Margaret threw Alpha out of the way. Suddenly, the bullet pierced the robin's skull and went straight into her brain. The robin fell to her knees and collapsed onto the cement.

"Oh my god!" Rigby exclaimed. There were a few seconds of shock. Nobody moved and all of them just stared at the body of Margaret.

Vivian stared at the body of her friend in shock. It wasn't supposed to go like this! Alpha was supposed to die, not her!

Mordecai quickly ran at Vivian and pushed her against the wall of the hotel. "Drop. The. Gun." Mordecai ordered, trying not to cry. Vivian dropped the gun and Luke quickly ran and picked it up. Luke ran over to Rigby and handed the gun to the raccoon.

"No…" Alpha crouched in front of Margaret's body. Walkers were coming from almost every direction.

"There are walkers coming." Sean glanced at the horde that was approaching from the south. "We need to go!" Sean exclaimed, looking at Mordecai who was just staring into Vivian's eyes.

"Why…why Vivian…?" Mordecai held her against the wall.

"Dude! We need to go! Let's just leave her!" Rigby shouted, beginning to panic. "Make a decision!" Rigby added.

"Your not coming with us…" Mordecai let her go, she fell down the wall and landed on the cement below. Vivian didn't make any noise or try to argue with him, she just sat there. She brought her knees up to her face, still coming to terms with what she did.

"We gotta go!" Mordecai shouted. "Come on." He grabbed Luke and Sean's paws and began running to the west, back onto the snowy terrain. Rigby knelt beside Alpha.

"I'm sorry…but we have to go." Rigby pulled Alpha up. They glanced at the hotel, and noticed a few walkers come out from around the corners of the hotel and approach Vivian.

"Let's go!" Rigby pulled Alpha away and they ran into the snow, running after the other three survivors. As they ran into the snow, Alpha glanced back and saw Vivian getting devoured by walkers, while other walkers fed on Margaret's carcass. Alpha and Rigby caught up to Mordecai, Sean and Luke and looked behind them. "What now?" Rigby asked, panting as they approached them.

"I…I don't know! I'm still…a little shocked." Mordecai held his head for a second. "Get your head together man!" Rigby attempted to help his friend. "I…she was my best friend…" Mordecai sat in the snow. The sounds of moaning were getting closer, the walkers were following them.

Rigby knew he had to do something, he had to step up. The raccoon slapped his friend in the face. "Move!" He shouted, startling the bird. Mordecai quickly stood up, glancing at the raccoon in shock. "Let's go!" Rigby shouted, pushing Mordecai along. Mordecai grabbed the kid's paws once again and began running through the snow, with Rigby and Alpha following them close behind. It continued to snow, eventually intensifying to the point where they could hardly see the way in front of them.

Rigby put his arm in front of him as he continued to run, blocking his face from any incoming snow.

Luke let go of Mordecai and shivered. "It's…so cold…" Luke's teeth began to chatter.

"We can't stop now! Just try to deal with it until we can find another place to camp that's FAR away from here." Rigby looked over at the freezing wolf. Sean would continue to glance back at Luke, as they continued to run. Even after all of this, he still had to confront him over what he was talking about in the car back at the hotel.

Though, due to the massive snowstorm, he doubted they'd be able to talk about it anytime soon.

**Finally! A good chapter! (In my opinion!) Thanks for reading guys! Go ahead and vote in my poll for what you think will happen in the next chapters. And check out my profile for links to other sites and other things! Thanks for reading.**


	19. Episode Nineteen: The Snowstorm

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Four: Friendships Divided**

**Episode Three: The Snowstorm**

**15****th**** of May, 2024, Late Afternoon**

**A/N; Well, it's been forever, but I'm back. I'm sorry for the long wait. Here's a chapter for all of you patient people! Peace.**

The snow storm intensified, as the five remaining survivors trudged through the snow, looking for any type of shelter. The leader of the group was in not in a good emotional state. The man in question, was being comforted by the second-tallest one of the group; Alpha. Alpha and Mordecai had their arms wrapped around each other's necks, keeping each other from falling over.

The two kids of the group; Luke and Sean, were at the front of the group with Rigby, who was desperately searching for a place to camp. "God, I can't deal with this stress." Rigby muttered, folding his arms. "This is all too much for me." He added. Luke reached up for Rigby's paw and pulled it down. He squeezed Rigby's paw and looked up at him.

"You can do it." Luke assured him. The raccoon looked back down at the kid and smiled. "Thank you." Rigby pulled away his paw and folded his arms again. "See anything out there?" He asked.

"No. But it's hard to see through this storm anyway." Sean said, putting his paw on his forehead, covering his eyes from the incoming snow. The group slowly continued through the snow, unaware of their surroundings.

Suddenly, Rigby could see a light on his left. It was approaching extremely fast. "Down!" Rigby exclaimed, jumping onto the snow. The group quickly followed his orders and laid down on the snow. "Sounds like a car." Rigby looked back at Sean. The lights flew past them and continued further down.

The group quickly got back up and Rigby walked forward. He glanced down at the snow, he saw tire tracks. "We can just follow these." He said, pointed in the direction that the lights went.

"You sure?" Alpha asked, looking at Rigby's extended arm. "What if these people aren't friendly?" He asked.

"Then we improvise." Rigby answered, opening his backpack and pulling out his axe. "Let's get moving." Rigby added, walking through the snow.

"Look!" Sean shouted, pointing in the direction that they were heading. The lights were coming back. "What do we do?" Sean asked, looking over at the raccoon. "You guys get down." Rigby ordered.

The kids quickly obliged and dived onto the snow. "What are you doing?" Alpha asked, looking at Rigby with worried eyes.

"Just get down." Rigby ordered. Alpha sighed and pushed himself and Mordecai into the snow. The lights approached faster. The lights suddenly stopped, just ahead of the raccoon and switched off.

"Hey! What are you doing out here?" Rigby heard somebody shout. Rigby heard a door shut and he felt two hands on his shoulders. "It's freezing out here!" Rigby saw the face of an otter. He knew there was something familiar about this otter and decided to immediately inquire about it.

"Have I seen you before?" Rigby asked, removing the otter's hands off of his shoulders. "It doesn't matter. Get in the truck." The otter ran back over to the car and reached in. He turned the keys and the lights suddenly came on.

"And bring your friends." The otter said, pointing to the rest of the group, which were lying down close by

"Come on guys." Rigby said, watching them all stand up. Rigby walked to the right side of the truck and jumped in. "Think all five of us will fit in?" The raccoon asked, looking over the front seat.

"I'm sure." The otter assured him. The back left door of the truck opened and Luke and Sean entered, while Alpha and Mordecai entered using the right door.

"Now you tell me." Rigby said, watching the otter turn the keys again. The dash suddenly lit up and Rigby immediately glanced at the glowing dashboard. "Nice." Rigby commented, putting his seatbelt on.

"Thanks, I manage." The otter replied, pushing down on the accelerator and turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. The truck followed the driver's commands and quickly turned around. "Let's get somewhere warm." The otter said, pushing firmly down on the accelerator.

"We're gonna get some sleep." Alpha said, looking over the front seat.

"That's cool, go ahead and get comfortable. There a few pillows under the back seat." The otter said, his eyes still glued to the windscreen. The otter flicked a switch behind the steering wheel, and the windscreen wipes suddenly came on.

"Thanks." Alpha sat back on the seat. The inhabitants of the back seat made themselves comfortable, and eventually they all fell asleep.

"What's your name?" Rigby asked, folding his arms.

"Cody." The otter answered. He took one paw off the wheel and shook the raccoon's paw. "What's yours?" Cody asked.

"Rigby." He answered, shaking the otter's paw. "Sorry man, I thought you were someone else." Rigby pulled his paw away and glanced at the otter. "You look like an old enemy of mine." The raccoon quickly explained.

"He was in prison before the outbreak." Rigby added, scratching under his neck.

"Do I look like I'm wearing an orange jumpsuit?" The otter chuckled. "I've never been to prison." Cody added.

"That makes one of us I guess." Rigby smirked.

"You've been in prison?" The otter asked, a little taken aback. "It wasn't for killing someone, right?" He asked.

"No, no, no." The raccoon quickly defended himself. "Petty theft, public indecency…and um…I think I was in prison for a couple of days for fraud." Rigby explained.

"What was your biggest sentence?" The otter asked, intrigued.

"Four days." Rigby answered. "You don't really get that much time in prison for stealing a comic book." Rigby chuckled. "And they don't usually convict kids, either." He added.

The otter just shrugged. "Public indecency, eh?" He chuckled. "What's that all about?" He added.

"I don't usually wear clothes." Rigby replied. "One day, when I wasn't wearing clothes. I didn't groom my fur properly. And well…it just hang out. I got fined a buttload of money for that." Rigby laughed.

Cody chuckled and looked over at Rigby. "You're the leader?" He asked.

"No, he is." Rigby pointed to Mordecai, who was leaning up against the window. "An extremely close friend of ours was just murdered today." Rigby sighed.

"That's rough. Bandits get 'im?" Cody asked.

"No, one of us." Rigby sighed. "How do I start…?" Rigby folded his arms.

"We were camped in a jewellery store, one of our guys came in and he was shot by Alpha." Rigby pointed to the wolf in question, who was sleeping soundly on the back seat. "It was an accident, but a really close friend of him thought Alpha had murdered him on purpose. She had tried to kill Alpha on multiple occasions." Rigby explained.

"Earlier today, she confronted Alpha in the car-park of a hotel we camped at overnight and she drew a gun. She fired the gun…and the bullet hit the wrong person." Rigby sighed. "Our group is falling apart." He added.

"There were so many of us before…" Rigby frowned. Cody noticed a few tears appear under the raccoon's eyes and reached over to him. He wiped his tears away and retracted his arm.

Rigby sighed. "There were…so many of us…" Rigby said, much quieter. "There's no need for you to continue." Cody readjusted his position on his seat. "Just try and get some sleep, we'll arrive at my camp soon enough." Cody suggested.

"I will, thanks." Rigby smiled at him, before turning over and facing the window. The raccoon put his head onto the window pane and closed his eyes.

Cody glanced over at him, before glancing at the dashboard. He looked at the temperature gage on the dash and frowned. "The engines gonna freeze." Cody sighed. "Let's just hope this piece of crap makes it back." Cody talked to himself.

He glanced at the back seat, then back to Rigby. He noticed a blue ring on his finger. He was going to inquire about it, but decided to let the raccoon sleep. God only knows how much he needed it.

Rigby's head fell down the pane and onto the door. He had fallen asleep. Cody opened a glove box, which was beside him and pulled out a cassette tape. "Better than nothing." He said to himself, interesting the tape into the stereo. A few seconds later, some classical music emitted from the speakers on either side of the stereo.

Cody smirked and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. The truck continued through the rough terrain, the tires gripping onto the snow beneath them, and the windscreen wipers pushing all of the snow off of the windscreen. Cody lost himself in the song playing on the stereo, and he couldn't help but smile.

_Meanwhile _

Two states away, in the state of Idaho. Two figures approached a massive wall, which was four times as tall as an average one. One of the figures, dressed in a black jacket and blue jeans approached the wall, followed by a ghost, which floated slowly behind the other one.

"Eileen, is this it?" The ghost asked, looking at the wall in awe. "I've only heard about this in rumours, are you sure this is the right place?" The ghost added. 

"HFG, I'm sure it is. Who would just build a massive wall in the middle of Idaho?" Eileen looked back at the ghost.

"Well…let's go then." HFG floated over to the wall. "There's a door here." The ghost said, pointing to a small opening in the wall. "I'll knock." He said, knocking on the door. The mole approached him and glanced at the door.

The door suddenly opened, and a guy dressed in military-grade clothing was standing behind it. "State your business." He said, in a bored tone.

"We've travelled very far…looking for this place. Somewhere where we can just…live without the fear of becoming one of…_them_…" Eileen emphasised the last word.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" The man asked, studying their appearances. "No guns. Just a bow and an axe." HFG replied, glancing at the mole.

"Give me a second." The man shut the door and footsteps could be heard.

After a few minutes of waiting, the door reopened and the man ushered them inside. "Welcome to 'Paradise'." He rolled his eyes and began walking.

The two survivors followed him into a courtyard. They saw tons of kids playing handball, hopscotch and four-square on the tarmac. "We have four spare beds left, you guys are lucky. It seems nobody wants to leave this place." He explained, leading them into a tent with two bunk beds.

"This is your bed." He pointed to one of the beds. "Curfew is eleven at night." He said. "There are no set rules. No limitations on what you can do. Except the obvious things, don't leave without telling one of us, so we know that your not endangering the community." He explained.

"Don't hurt anyone in the community, don't lead the undead in here. You know, all the things only a dumbass wouldn't know." He added. He turned to leave the tent.

"Um…quick question." Eileen tapped his shoulder. The man turned back around and folded his arms.

"Yes?" He asked.

"When do we get to eat?" Eileen asked, rubbing her stomach. "We haven't eaten in forever." She moaned.

The man rolled his arms and checked his watch. "Dinner will be prepared at seven. Get yourself unpacked." He said, exiting the tent.

Eileen jumped on her bed and put her arms behind her head. "We're finally here." She breathed a sigh of relief. HFG hovered beside the bed and smiled at her. "There's no more…well, danger." Eileen added. "We can remain here and be safe. And maybe even have a meal that doesn't taste like crap." She chuckled. 

"Hey! I don't cook that bad." HFG smirked.

"Denial." Eileen chuckled. "Anyway, let's get ourselves unpacked. I'm starved." Eileen said, jumping off her bed and reaching for her backpack.

"We're finally safe." HFG said, opening his bag. "Yeah, finally." Eileen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Think the other guys will get here?" HFG asked, looking at Eileen with an intent look, plastered on his face.

"I hope so. Though the chances seem extremely slim." Eileen shrugged. "Don't worry though, I'm sure they're fine."

_At the same time_

"We're here." Cody said, stopping the truck. Rigby opened his eyes and glanced ahead of him. The snowstorm had finished and sky was almost completely clear. "Come on guys." Rigby looked over the back of the seat and pat Alpha on the shoulder.

Alpha opened his eyes and glanced at Rigby. "Wake everyone else up, we're here." Rigby ordered.

Alpha nodded and began shaking awake the other survivors. The otter opened his door and jumped out of the truck. He shut his door slowly and watched Rigby jump out of the truck.

Rigby breathed in the air. It was fresh, and the atmosphere was much cleaner. "Ah, that's good." Rigby muttered to himself, as he walked in front of the truck and approached the otter. "There." Cody pointed ahead of him.

Rigby looked at where the otter was pointed and stared in awe. They'd stopped in front of a farm. All the windows of the farm-house were boarded up, and the entrance to the barn was covered with barbed wire.

"You did this yourself?" Rigby asked, looking over at the otter. The otter smiled confidently and gave a nod of approval.

"Dude! Nice!" Rigby exclaimed. "Let's get inside." Rigby said, looking over at Cody. Cody nodded at him and began approaching the farm-house. Cody pushed the door open and the group passed through. "Go ahead and chill in the living room." Cody said, shutting the door and switching the light on.

Alpha was taken aback by this. "Electricity?" He said, looking over at the otter. "Fortunately, there was a generator in the basement." Cody smiled confidently. "And there's a windmill behind the house." He added.

The group walked into the living room. Mordecai and Alpha sat on the couch, while Luke and Sean sat on the floor. Rigby stood beside Cody and followed him into the kitchen. "Want a drink?" Cody asked, opening the fridge.

"Um, yeah." Rigby answered, leaning on the counter. "Here you go." Cody grabbed a can of soda and threw it to the raccoon. "Thanks." He smiled at him and pulled the pin of the can.

Rigby took a sip and glanced at Cody. "It's been forever since I've had a cold soda. It makes me remember the good old days." Rigby sighed.

"You said it." Cody mirrored the raccoon's actions. Cody glanced at Rigby's right paw again and saw the ring for a second time. "Hey, dude." Cody said.

"Yeah?" Rigby replied, taking another sip from the can. "Your married?" Cody asked.

"Yeah." Rigby smiled at his ring. It had been a long time since he'd actually paid any attention to it. "It's a nice ring." Cody said.

"Thanks." Rigby smiled at him. "Mordecai chose the perfect ring for me." Rigby smiled.

Cody was taken aback by this and cleared his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't think it was an issue." Rigby finished his can and threw the can into a nearby bin.

"It isn't an issue, I was just going onto the subject of you losing your wife." Cody chuckled and threw his can out.

"It's cool." Rigby looked at him. A few seconds of awkward silence filled the air, until Rigby cleared his throat. "Ahem…let's go into the living room?" He said, looking away.

Cody nodded and followed the raccoon into the living room. Cody gasped, all of his tapes were spread out all over the floor and Sean and Luke were going through them.

"Those are my tapes!" Cody exclaimed.

"'Saturday Night Live?'" Luke read the words written on one of the tapes. "The hell is this?" He asked.

"This," Cody snatched the tape from Luke's hand. "Is before your time." He added, switching on the television.

"I used to watch this all the time when I was younger." Cody said, jumping on the couch, in between Mordecai and Alpha.

"Back in the prehistoric times?" Luke asked, hi-fiving Sean.

Cody cocked an eyebrow and looked down at the two kids. "Back when cellphones were bricks and televisions had big boxes behind them." Sean laughed.

"What was it like meeting the dinosaurs?" The two friends hi-fived each other and laughed. The otter smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Typical kids." He said, in a happier tone. "Here." He said, handing the tape to Rigby. Rigby walked over to the television and put the tape inside the VCR player below it.

"Let's watch some then." Cody grinned evilly. "No! I don't want to become a fossil!" Luke shrieked. Luke ran out of the living room and into the foyer. Sean ran after him and the two kids ran up the stairs.

"Wait! Come…" "Don't worry about them, their fine." Cody interrupted him, and glanced at the television. "Let's become fossils." Cody chuckled, turning up the volume.

Luke and Sean ran up the stairs and onto the second floor. The two kids laughed and looked around. They were in a hallway. "Look at this." Luke said, opening a nearby door. They passed through the doorway and into a room. It was a bedroom. "This must be Cody's room." Luke said, jumping on the bed.

Sean remained quiet and sat at the end of the bed. "What's up with you?" Luke asked. Sean looked away and rubbed his shoulder. "Um…" He stuttered. "Whatever is up, you can tell me." Luke placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and looked intently at him. Sean balled up his fists and looked his friend straight in the eyes and bluntly asked;

"Do you like me?"

**Okay, lots of 'what the fucks' in this chapter. Mordecai doesn't get a single line, Eileen and HFG return, and Sean asks the million dollar question. Sorry for taking so long to update! I will update as soon as I can!**

**PM me if you have any questions or if you just want to talk. Peace!**


	20. Episode Twenty: Electricity

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Four: Friendships Divided**

**Episode Four: Electricity**

**15****th**** of May, 2024, Late Evening**

The two kids sat beside each other, their eyes locked onto one another. Luke rubbed his shoulder and turned away. "Come on Luke…just tell me." Sean placed a paw on Luke's shoulder. Luke turned back to his friend and cleared his throat. The room was once again, filled with the dreaded silence, which both of the wolves absolutely hated.

At the same time, Alpha had climbed up the steps, searching for the bathroom. He noticed the opened door and peered inside. He noticed Luke and Sean looking over at each other, with awkward looks on both of their faces.

Luke looked into Sean's eyes and cracked a smile. Suddenly, Luke reached over to Sean, and in a matter of seconds, their lips were connected. Sean didn't have to react, before Luke had begun exploring the kid's mouth.

Luke suddenly pulled away, and the two friends stared at each other with shocked looks on their faces. "I'm…I'm sorry…" Luke said, jumping off of the bed and running out of the room, knocking Alpha over as he exited the bedroom.

Alpha watched Luke descend down the stairs, before turning back to Sean, who had his face buried in his paws. "Sean…are you alright…?" Alpha asked, entering the bedroom. Sean remained quiet. Alpha quietly walked over to Sean and sat beside him on the bed. Alpha decided to remain silent and pulled Sean in for a hug. Sean returned the hug, and a few tears strayed from his eyes.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Rigby, Cody and Mordecai were in a fit of laughs, watching the television. "How do they come up with this stuff?" Mordecai asked, a lot happier than earlier. Luke suddenly sped down the steps and ran out the front door of the house.

"What the he-…Luke!" Rigby jumped off the couch. "You can't be out there all alone!" Rigby said, following him out the front door. Luke ran off the porch and around the side of house, with Rigby following him close behind. "Stop!" The raccoon demanded, while Luke continued to run along the grass.

"Stop!" The raccoon shouted. Luke tripped over a rock and landed on the ground. The wolf looked up and saw Rigby's angry face. He quickly stood up and faced the raccoon.

"What the hell are you doing out here!?" Rigby exclaimed, catching his breath. Luke remained quiet and just stared at the raccoon. "Luke…?" Rigby tilted his head. Luke remained quiet. Rigby noticed a few tears falling from Luke's eyes and sighed. "Come on…let's get back inside." Rigby rubbed Luke's shoulder and began leading him back to the house.

The two men walked up the steps of the porch and walked back into the house. Mordecai and Cody directed their attention to them as they entered. "What happened?" Cody asked, getting off the couch, with Mordecai mirroring his actions.

"I'm not sure…" Rigby said, rubbing Luke's shoulder. "He's not talking to me." Rigby sighed.

Cody looked out the window and noticed that the sun had set. "How about we do this in the morning. We're all very tired." He suggested. Rigby nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." Luke said, in a quiet voice. "I'll sleep down here, on the couch." Luke said, escaping Rigby's grip and walking over to the couch.

"I think you should come up with us, we don't want any-…" "I'm sleeping on the couch." Luke sternly answered, interrupting the otter.

"Sounds like he means business, come along. Let's go upstairs." Cody said, ascending the stairs with Mordecai. "Goodnight kid." Rigby approached Luke and kissed him on the forehead. "We'll see you in the morning…alright? And please…don't run off." Rigby frowned. Luke nodded and watched Rigby climb the stairs.

Luke reached over to the television and switched it off. He didn't want anything disturbing him while he attempted to sleep.

But how could he sleep? He just kissed his best friend. He knew he had to get it out of his system, but maybe that wasn't the best thing to do.

Luke decided to put these thoughts to sleep, while he attempted to get some himself. Luke laid on the couch and closed his eyes. But no matter how he tried, the wolf would never get to sleep.

An hour later, Luke heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He opened his eyes and glanced at the staircase. He saw Sean walking down the stairs, as quiet as he could. Continuously looking back to see if anybody heard him. Sean noticed Luke on the couch and approached him with caution.

"Luke…please…" Sean begged, before he even got within a metres radius of the wolf. Luke sat up and looked over a Sean, with a distraught look on his face. Sean knew that Luke had regretted what he'd done. But Sean, on the other hand, was happy that he did.

"Scooch." Sean said, sitting beside Luke on the couch. Luke moved over a little bit and glanced at Sean.

"You know…" Sean began. "Back in school, I knew this girl." He explained. "And she was the hottest girl in our grade." Sean continued. "One day, I decided that I would muster up my courage and tell her that I had feelings for her. So…I did." Sean readjusted his position on the couch as he continued.

"You see, I've read all those crappy romance novels, and seen all those television shows about love. And how they would always say that you would get…a good feeling, when you kiss someone that you truly know that you should be with." Sean continued. Luke just stared at him in awe, actually understanding every word that was coming out of Sean's mouth.

"It's…like a feeling…electricity! You know?" Sean smiled at him. "So…when I told the girl my feelings, we kissed. And straight away, I realised…that, that wasn't what I wanted." Sean continued. "But…when you kissed me, the thing that shocked me the most, wasn't that you suddenly kissed me." Sean shifted closer to the other wolf and smiled at him.

"It's that I actually felt the feeling when you did." Without warning, Sean reached over and kiss Luke on the cheek. "You should've told me earlier." Sean chuckled, pulling away.

Luke's cheeks were now a dark shade of crimson. Luke hid his embarrassment away from Sean, by turning the other way. "There's just _one_ thing that I'm unsure of." Sean said, his good mood diminishing.

"Why do you like me?" He asked. "Is it because I'm the only kid in the group? Or is it because you're just bored?" Sean asked.

Luke turned to face him. "It's none of those reasons. The reason why I like you, is because of how…calm you can be. The way you can rave on passionately about something that is important to you. The way that you smile at everyone you see. And the way how you're always so helpful to the group." Luke explained.

"I don't love you because you're smart." Luke smiled at him. "I love you because you are unique. Special. One-of a kind." Luke added. "All of those things." He added.

"That was so cheesy." Sean laughed. "But I loved it." He added, pulling Luke into a hug. Luke wrapped his arms around Sean and let out a sigh.

They pulled away from each other and just stared at one another. "What happens now?" Sean asked.

"I dunno. We're only kids, Sean." Luke chuckled.

"I didn't mean anything like that." Sean blushed. "I meant, what do we do now? Are we in a relationship or…what?" Sean asked.

"I thought you were smarter than that." Luke chuckled. "Of course we're in a relationship." He added. Sean smiled back at him. "Good." He said, in a happier tone.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. "Did you hear that?" Luke asked, glancing over at the front door. Sean nodded. Luke jumped off the couch, followed by Sean and approached the door. Luke pushed Sean back.

"Stay back, I don't want you getting hurt." Luke said, in a man-like voice. Sean knew that Luke was trying to impress him, but he bought it anyway. He nodded and walked over to the couch.

Luke approached the door and considered his options. His conscience was telling him to not open it, but he thought that he should. Luke reached over to the lock of the door and was about to lock it, before the door swung open.

Luke stood back and looked up, his eyes widening at the sight. Behind the door, was an otter holding a shotgun. "What the hell…?" The otter stood there in shock. He was obviously not expecting a kid to answer the door. "Um…who are you?" The otter asked, holding the shotgun in both of his hands.

"I'm…" Luke quickly thought of a lie, while Sean quickly ducked behind the couch. "Mitch." He answered.

"Okay…Mitch…does anybody by the name of Cody live here?" The otter asked, looking through the doorway.

"No…I live here with my partner." Luke narrowed his eyes and leant on the wall beside him, trying to act cool.

"Are you sure? I was just here yesterday and I saw him." The otter narrowed his eyes and glared at the smaller man. "He's my brother." The otter added.

Luke was slightly taken aback by this, but kept his cool. "I did see an otter down the road, but he doesn't live here." Luke smirked. The otter nodded and sighed.

"Alright, I apologize, I'll go look for him. Thanks for your time." The otter nodded and walked off the porch.

Luke slowly closed the door and looked over a Sean with a worried look. "What's going on down here?" Luke looked up and noticed Alpha, Rigby, Mordecai and Cody descending the staircase.

"There was somebody at the door. He's gone now." Luke explained.

"Who was at the door?" Cody asked, in a stern voice. "He was an otter. He said he was your brother." Luke added.

"I don't have a brother." Cody tilted his head in confusion. "That's what he said dude." Luke shrugged.

"Was he carrying a weapon?" Mordecai asked.

"Yeah, it looked like a double barrel." Sean answered, walking over to the group. "Luke made him go away." Sean added.

"What did you say to him?" Alpha asked, scratching under his neck.

"I just told him that I saw you down the road, so he'd leave." Luke answered, regretting that he'd told him.

"I know who he is…he isn't a good guy." Cody glanced at Rigby. "His name is Era. He is part of a local bandit group that is camped a few blocks away." Cody explained. "He sometimes comes here and robs me for supplies." Cody walked up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Alpha asked, facing the staircase.

"Once he realises that what Luke told him was a lie, he's going to return with the rest of his group to hunt me down. That includes killing all of you guys to reach me." Cody replied, facing the group.

"I doubt that. I think we can handle them." Mordecai scoffed. "They're just bandits. We've got weapons too." He added.

"Don't be so stupid." Cody snarled. "They've got rifles, shotguns, pistols…any type of weapon they can get their hands on, they've got." Cody explained. "They've got cars too." He added, watching the group follow him up the stairs.

"Okay guys, get all of your stuff. We're leaving the farm." Cody ordered. Luke remained downstairs with Sean, while the rest of the group ascended the stairs. "Quickly, let's grab our gear." Luke said, running over to the couch. Sean followed close behind the wolf. Luke reached behind the sofa and pulled out two backpacks, he handed the smaller one to Sean and threw the bigger one over his shoulder.

Sean adjusted his backpack and placed it on his back, putting his arms through the straps. "We should search the bottom floor for supplies." Sean suggested. "Good idea." Luke agreed.

Luke walked into the kitchen and began emptying the fridge. "Remember, we can't take any refrigerated stuff, we got nowhere to put them." Sean shouted to Luke, as he opened the cabinet below the television.

"I know!" Luke shouted back. He searched the fridge and grabbed a few cans of Sodas. He stuffed them in his backpack, followed by a loaf of bread. He noticed at the back of the fridge, were a few bottles of Bud Light. He reached for them and pulled out one of the bottles.

"Unopened." He said to himself, as he put the bottle in his backpack. He grabbed the other bottles and put them in aswell.

A few minutes later, the group met downstairs and they all waited for Cody. Eventually, Cody descended the stairs and approached them. "Alright, let's go out the back and take my truck." Cody said, walking through the living room and into the kitchen. The survivors followed him through the kitchen to the back door. Cody opened it and passed through it, leading the survivors outside.

The atmosphere darkened as they went outside. A storm had begun, and bolts of lightning were appearing in the skies. "To the truck." Cody said, jogging to his pick-up truck, which was parked in a small, open garage complex. The group followed him to the truck.

"Open up!" Cody heard somebody shout, followed by the sound of glass breaking. "Holy shit that was quick." Cody muttered as he searched his pockets for the keys.

"Hurry up!" Alpha exclaimed, beginning to panic.

"Fuck! I left the keys inside the house!" Cody shouted. Alpha rolled his eyes and jumped onto the side of the truck. The wolf held his arm and used it to break open the window. "We're in!" Alpha said, reaching in and pulling up the lock, unlocking the car.

"What the hell did you do that for!?" Cody exclaimed.

"I improvised!" Alpha said, opening the door and letting the kids into the back seat. Luke reached over and opened the left front door for Cody and sat back in his seat. Mordecai followed the kids into the back seat, followed by Alpha. Alpha shut the door as he entered, while Cody and Rigby got into the front seats.

"Wait, how can we start the car without keys?" Rigby asked, looking through the windscreen, at the house.

"I can hotwire it!" Cody said, looking over at the raccoon.

"Okay…do your thing, just hurry." Rigby said, looking over at the house. Suddenly, the back door flung open and Era passed through it, followed by two other fully-equipped people, holding rifles. "Take them out!" Era shouted, pointed the rifle at the truck.

Cody opened a panel below the steering wheel and grabbed two of the wires. "Here goes…" He said, putting the wires together. The car suddenly turned on. The dash lit up, and the lights on the front lit up, blinding Era and the two people with him.

"Drive!" Rigby shouted, putting on his seatbelt. Cody quickly put his belt on the grabbed the steering wheel. He pulled out the handbrake and pushed on the accelerator. The truck had trouble gaining traction on the wet ground, and the tires wouldn't move.

"Come on!" Cody said, hitting the side of his door. As soon as he said that, the truck regained traction and sped past the house. Cody pushed the steering wheel to the right, veering the truck in the same direction.

"Hold on!" Rigby exclaimed. Cody drove the truck onto the road that was in front of the farm house and increased his speed. Alpha looked over the back seat and noticed two pairs of lights pursuing them. "They _do_ have cars!" Alpha shouted.

"I told you." Cody sighed. The lights continued to close in on the survivors, while Cody attempted to outrun them. "Okay…Mordecai, you're the closest. Grab my backpack and open the main compartment." Cody ordered. Mordecai nodded and reached for Cody's backpack. He opened it and was shocked when he noticed a pistol.

"Yes, it's a gun! Pull it out the try to take these guys out, while I drive!" Cody demanded. Mordecai pulled out the pistol and reached out the window, so he could get a shot on their pursuers. "On the left!" Cody exclaimed. The group all turned to the left, a truck had pulled up beside them and was only a metres length away from their truck.

"Pull over!" The driver shouted. It was Era. He was the only one in the truck, while the rest of his group were in the car a fair way behind them. Era veered his truck far to the right, clipping the survivor's truck. Cody held the truck on the road though, making sure it didn't veer into the ground on either side of the road.

"Fine! I guess I have to take you out!" Era shouted, reaching into the back seat of his truck and grabbing his double barrel. "How can he hold that, and drive at the same time?" Luke asked, while he hid behind Mordecai with Sean. "Multitasking?" Sean shrugged.

Era held the shotgun in his right hand and aimed it at the truck. He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the shotgun blast, forced all of the survivors to cup their hands over their ears.

However, for one of the group members, the final thing they felt, was the pellets of the shotgun piercing their skull.

**Finally I get a chance to update. What did you think? Did you like it? Did you hate it? Please, review! And just quickly, two things, firstly, I only got two reviews for the last chapter, I don't mean to be annoying, but the more reviews, the quicker the update. Thanks to AeroAlpha for his continued support! And also, JohnIsCool, if you are going to review, make it about the story, not just about some random thing. Or just one word.**

**Thanks for reading everyone! **

**Word Count – 3000. Wow!**


	21. Episode Twenty One: A Sealed Fate

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Four: Friendships Divided**

**Episode Five: A Sealed Fate**

**May 15****th****, 2024, Almost Midnight**

The pellets of the shotgun pierced his skull, killing him instantly. His head exploded on impact, his blood splattering onto the insides of the car. His lifeless body fell forward onto the steering wheel, pressing onto the horn. The man sitting beside him, had seconds to act, before the car spun out of control and crashed into the side of the road.

He didn't have time to grieve. Rigby reached over to the steering wheel and took control of the vehicle. Luke and Sean held each other, with Alpha covering their eyes, while Mordecai was searching for the pistol he dropped, at the sudden death of his friend.

Eventually, he found it. He picked it up and pushed Alpha's head out of the way, so he could get a good shot at Eva. He quickly pulled the trigger and watched the bullet fly through Eva's eye. Eva screamed and held his head with both of his hands. He lost control of his car and veered into the side of the road, out of view.

Alpha kept his hands in front of the child's eyes and glanced over the back seat. The rest of the people that were pursuing them before, had disappeared out of view. Alpha breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Rigby, who had one hand on the wheel, and another hand on Cody's lifeless body.

Rigby stopped the car and opened the door on his side. The raccoon pushed Cody's body out of the truck and shut the door. He glanced at his body through the window and he sighed. "I'm so sorry…" He muttered.

The raccoon slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car began speeding down the road once again.

Mordecai glanced over at Alpha, before cautiously climbing into the front seat. He put the pistol in his lap and glanced at his spouse. "That was some sick shit…" Mordecai said, glancing at the blood that had splattered over the interior.

"You said it." Rigby replied, slowing the truck down. "I can't believe he's dead." Rigby sighed. He glanced over at the blue jay. Mordecai saw that Rigby's face was completely covered in blood. And they both knew that it wasn't his.

Mordecai reached over and put his wing atop of the raccoon's paw. "Stop the car man, I'll drive." Mordecai said, looking at his friend with a concerned face. Rigby nodded wearily, before slowing the car to a stop for a second time. Mordecai got out of the truck and walked around to the other side. He watched Rigby drop down and he picked him up.

Mordecai held Rigby close to his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry man." He said, in a quiet tone. "I never meant for you to take on all of this." He added. Rigby sighed and hugged him back.

"It's fine. I'm going to have to learn to do more of this, in case you don't make it." Rigby chuckled. Mordecai looked down at his companion and shook his head. "I won't let you go." Rigby said, wrapping his arms around Mordecai's neck. Mordecai cracked a small smile, before removing Rigby's arms from around his neck and placing him on the tarmac.

"Let's get going." Mordecai said, watching Rigby walk around the front of the truck. Mordecai opened the door and jumped into the truck. He shut the door behind him, before he glanced at the other side. He watched Rigby climb up into the passenger side, before turning his attention to the back seat.

"How are you guys holding up?" Mordecai asked, peering over the back seat.

"The kids aren't talking." Alpha replied, looking up at the worried bird. "But we're alive…so…" Alpha ended his sentence. He glanced down at the two kids and noticed that Luke had fallen asleep. Sean looked up at Alpha and yawned lightly. "They need their sleep." Alpha added, looking down at the two kids.

Mordecai nodded and turned back around. "Alright, let's get going." He said, pushing his foot onto the accelerator. He put the car back into drive and the truck began speeding down the road once again. Mordecai switched the lights on for the truck and sighed.

"It's so much better with light." He muttered, as he leant back into his seat. As he continued to drive down the road, he noticed a sign which read; 'You are now entering; Wyoming, Enjoy your stay.'

"Didn't even know there was a state called Wyoming." He muttered to himself, before glancing back over at Rigby. "I'm sorry to have put you through this." He muttered again, noticing that the raccoon was fast asleep. "Goodnight, man." Mordecai said, cracking a small smile.

Rigby woke up. He wasn't in the car. He was in a video game store. He glanced at his arms and noticed how small they were, compared to the ones he had now. He looked around this unfamiliar environment and scanned his surroundings. "Dude, you coming or what?" He heard a voice. Rigby turned his head and noticed a 13 year old Mordecai standing right behind him. "Didn't you want this game? You have been badgering me for it for weeks." Mordecai said, waving a game above his head.

"Yeah, I know man." The raccoon sighed. "I'm just not feeling myself today." He added, looking up at his friend.

"It's fine man. You'll be much better after you've played some L.A. Noire." Mordecai chuckled lightly at the end of the sentence. "Let's take this to the counter." Mordecai said, grabbing the raccoon's paw. Rigby was practically dragged to the counter of the store. Mordecai put the game on the counter and looked up at the cashier.

The guy behind the counter looked down at the boys, then at the game. "You _do_ realise this game isn't for kids, right?" He said, picking up the game. "You boys shouldn't watching this stuff so young." He added, showing the cover to the two kids.

"I have all the money for it right here." Mordecai said, confidently placing the money on the counter.

"Oh! Nevermind! Go ahead, take it." The clerk snatched the money and opened the cash register. Rigby reached up and grabbed the game. The raccoon and the blue jay exited the store and began walking down the bustling streets of Twin Peaks.

"Man, I owe you." Rigby said, looking at his taller friend.

"No you don't, it's cool. It's yours forever, but only if you let me have a go." Mordecai chuckled. "Can't let you have _all_the fun, can I?" He added, playfully punching Rigby in the shoulder.

Rigby rubbed his shoulder and looked down at the game. "Fine. I just want to do all of the detective-like parts. I'm gonna show you how smart I am." A confident grin appeared on the raccoon's face.

"Dude, that's the whole game." Mordecai scoffed. "And you don't have to show anything to me. Especially something that's impossible." Mordecai laughed.

Rigby glared at his friend. "Take a joke dude." Mordecai's tone lowered. "And besides, maybe we could invite the others over." He added. Rigby nodded and looked ahead of him.

Suddenly, everything around Rigby began to distort. He held Mordecai's wing, and squeezed it with all of his might. But after a few seconds, it disappeared with everything else. Rigby frantically looked around, scared about what was happening.

He was startled by a single gunshot that echoed around him. A few seconds later, he closed his eyes, and re-awakened in the truck. He opened his eyes slowly and rubbed them with his paws. "You get a shot! I'm trying to drive!" Rigby heard Mordecai shout. Rigby noticed the fright in his friends tone and looked to his left.

He turned to Rigby and looked back at the windscreen. "Thank god you're awake!" Mordecai said, putting the windscreen wipers on the highest setting. It was completely pouring rain outside, and visibility was extremely low. "You were out for four hours!" He added, suddenly turning the wheel extremely to the right.

The truck swerved to the right and it entered a new road. "What's going on?" Rigby asked, peering over the back seat.

"Those guys from earlier followed us down the road, they won't leave us alone." Mordecai replied, hardening his grip on the steering wheel. "Alpha's trying to scare them off." He added.

"We're out of ammo." Alpha said, putting the gun down.

"Are you fucking serious!?" Mordecai looked back over at him. "What are we gonna do…?" He muttered.

Rigby looked over the back seat and down the road. He saw one light that was following them. "Where's the other light of the car?" Rigby asked.

"I shot off the other light." Alpha confessed. "I'm a bad shot." He added, looking over at the two kids that were covering their eyes.

The pursuers approached extremely quickly and they rammed the back of the truck. The truck lurched forward and Mordecai tightened his grip on the steering wheel once again. The car sped up and in a few seconds, was side-by-side with the truck.

Rigby looked through the window of the truck and glanced at the contents of the car beside them. There was one person in the driver's seat, and two others in the back seat, looking back at Rigby.

The car suddenly slowed down and moved behind the truck. "The hell?" Alpha asked, looking out the back window. "Why did they-…" The car suddenly began to lose traction. Mordecai sharply turned the steering wheel to the left, trying to keep it on the road.

"I got it! I got it!" Mordecai strained. Mordecai eventually steadied the car and they continued down the road. Mordecai slowed the car down and glanced at the dashboard. "We still have half a tank." Mordecai said. "Are they still behind us?" He asked.

Rigby and Alpha looked through the back window. Neither of them noticed anything following them. "I don't see anything." Alpha replied, turning back to face the bird.

"Me neither." Rigby sat back down on the seat.

Mordecai remained silent and eased his foot off the accelerator. "Where are we?" Rigby asked.

"Some place called Wyoming." Mordecai answered. "Let's just keep following this road and see where it heads." Mordecai added.

"We've got enough supplies for a few days. So I think we're covered." The raccoon explained.

"Everyone get some rest. I'll keep us going for a few hours." Mordecai looked out of his window. He noticed a small crack of orange appearing over the horizon. "Go on." He added.

Alpha nodded and looked over at the kids again. Sean and Luke were asleep in each other's arms. "It looks like the two of them sorted out their issues." Alpha said, tapping Rigby on the shoulder. Rigby turned back and looked over the seat. He cracked a smile. "They're cute." He said.

Alpha smiled back at him. "I'm gonna get some sleep." The wolf said. Rigby nodded and turned back over. "Goodnight." Alpha rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes.

Half an hour passed without a single word uttered between the dynamic duo. Rigby looked over at his friend and shook his head. The sun had risen and the rain had finally stopped. Mordecai switched off the windscreen wipers and glanced at the dashboard. "We've still got just under half a tank." Mordecai noted.

"That should be enough to put some miles in between Cody's farm-house and…wait. Where _are_ we going?" Rigby asked, with a hint of worry in his voice.

"We don't have a certain destination. As I've already told you." Mordecai answered. "We are just heading north." He added. "Though, there is a place that is on my mind." Mordecai said, looking over at his spouse.

"There is?" Rigby tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes." Mordecai began. "Back at the farm-house. When Cody led us upstairs, after you and Alpha had gone to bed. He and I talked for a while about what we were planning to do." Mordecai explained. "Eventually, Cody told me about this person he had met before us. He said that he told him about this place two states away. A place where the military cage people in to keep them safe." Mordecai continued.

"That doesn't sound like a good place to be." Rigby noted.

"I know. I didn't think so either. But he said that the guy's family had been living there a while." Mordecai explained. "It might not be a fun place, but it would be a place where we don't need to fight anybody or anything anymore." He continued.

"No more zombies?" Rigby asked.

"No more zombies." Mordecai confirmed. Rigby remained silent and rested against the seat. The truck travelled along the icy road, while the sun shone upon them.

_Four Hours Later_

Rigby opened his eyes and looked over at the driver's seat. "Mornin'." Rigby said, stretching his arms. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey man, good morning." Mordecai looked back over at him and smiled at him. The bird reached over and kissed the raccoon's muzzle.

"It's been a while since I've had one of those." Rigby smiled.

"I know. I'm hoping we can do more of that." Mordecai smiled back at him.

"You're seeming awfully happy this morning." Rigby scooched closer to the bird and placed a paw on his shoulder. "I haven't see you this happy in a long time." He added. "What has you so cheerful?" Rigby asked.

"Well. For one thing, the sun has risen, the rain has stopped, and the road is completely safe to drive on now." Mordecai explained. "And plus, look what I found in the glove compartment." Mordecai trapped the glove compartment on Rigby's side.

Rigby reached over to it and pulled the hatch, opening it. A map fell out of the glove compartment. "It's a street map of America." Rigby said, picking up the map and opening it. "It says on the bottom the states it covers." Rigby added.

"Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North and South Dakota and Nebraska." Rigby read. "Which state did you say we were in again?" Rigby asked.

"Wyoming." Mordecai replied, slowing the car down. "I see a city sign." Mordecai added, pointing to the side of the road. Rigby looked up and through the windscreen, where his friend was pointing.

"Rock Springs." Mordecai read. "Where is that on the map?" He asked.

Rigby put his finger on the map and eventually found Rock Springs. "It's at the far southern part of Wyoming. If we head north from here…" Rigby explained. "We'll drive through Eden and Boulder. Eventually, if we continue down the road, we'll roll through Bondurant, Jackson, Moose and Moran." He added.

"Okay, we don't need to know that much." Mordecai stopped him. "I just need to know how big Rock Springs is." He added.

"Well, it's marked in black on the map. So it might be big?" Rigby shrugged and folded the map back up. "We'll have to turn onto Highway 191." Rigby said, looking back at the blue jay. Mordecai nodded and slowed the truck down.

"Okay, keep quiet. I'm gonna slow the truck down and we'll stop in the town." Mordecai said, his voice turning into a whisper.

"Why?" Rigby asked.

"Because we're gonna need a few more things." Mordecai replied.

"But we have all the supplies we need." Rigby argued.

"That's the bad part." Mordecai sighed. "Cody was carrying all of the supplies he brought. Not us. And when he died, he took the stuff with him when we left him on the side of the road." Mordecai explained.

"Oh my god!" Rigby exclaimed. "How could I have been so stupid?" Rigby kicked the dashboard. Sean jumped awake at this and peered over the seat.

"What's with all the noise?" Sean asked. "Keep quiet." Mordecai interrupted. The truck entered the town. Mordecai stopped the truck in front of a convenience store and turned off the engine. "Okay. Sean, stay in the truck and watch over Luke and Alpha." Mordecai ordered.

"Yes sir." Sean nodded and jumped into the front seat. Mordecai and Rigby opened their doors and exited the vehicle. Rigby crawled around the front of the car to Mordecai and they began to whisper to each other. "Okay…we haven't got any ammunition." Mordecai explained.

"I know." Rigby sighed. "So this is all we've got." Mordecai handed over a hammer to Rigby and kept the axe to himself. "Should we leave our backpacks in the car?" Mordecai asked.

"No, we should hold on to them." Rigby replied. "Now come on, let's get in there." Rigby approached the front door of the store. Rigby reached for the door knob and pulled it down. The door opened an inch, then it jammed. "You fuck." Rigby cursed under his breath, as he pulled the knob with all his might.

"Let me have a go at this thing." Mordecai approached. Sean sat in the front seat of the truck and looked through the window. He watched them attempt to open the door of the store. Mordecai stopped pulling on the door, and attempted to push the door open with his shoulder. "Damn thing." Mordecai exclaimed.

Rigby held his hammer in his left hand and glanced at the blue jay. Rigby stood on a box, so he could reach one of the windows. "What are you-…?" Rigby raised his hammer and shattered the glass. "Dude!" Mordecai exclaimed. "Let's just get in." Rigby crawled through the newly-broken window.

Mordecai sighed and followed his friend into the store. "Why did you do that? We'll have the whole town on top of us now." Mordecai scolded him.

"I improvised. I'm sorry." Rigby apologized.

"It's fine, let's just get any stuff we need, then we can leave." Mordecai replied. They stopped talking for a second. Mordecai looked around the store. The convenience store was as big as a department store. There were shelves lined with supplies and other important items. "Noone has looted this place!" Mordecai exclaimed. "Let's take as much as possible, then get out of here." Mordecai walked further into the store.

Rigby glanced at the counter of the store and approached it. He walked around the side of the counter and looked at the cash register. He opened a drawer under the register and noticed two keys on a chain. Rigby pulled it out and closed the drawer. The noticed a key hole on the side of the register. He shrugged and put the key in it. He turned the key and the register popped open.

"Oooh, money!" Rigby exclaimed. "I heard that! Just get some supplies, we don't need money." Rigby heard Mordecai laugh.

"Whatever man. I've just always wanted to do that." Rigby chuckled evilly and stuffed his pockets with the cash. He closed the register and turned back around. He noticed a red door with the words; 'Authorised Personnel Only' written in white writing.

"There could be something in there." Rigby shrugged. He used the key he picked up earlier to unlock the door. He pushed the door open, but like the previous door, it jammed. "Again!? Really!?" Rigby grunted.

He put his arm through the door and reached for the knob. He put his paw on the knob and turned it, but it didn't do anything. He looked down at the bottom of the door and noticed a crate behind the door. Rigby put his foot in the door and began pushing it open with his foot. He used the rest of his body to push the door far enough so he could slip through. The door moved an extra inch, and the raccoon passed through the space between the door and the wall.

But before Rigby could fully slip through the space, Rigby noticed a walker behind the door. The walker grabbed Rigby's wrist and pulled him into the room. "Fuck!" Rigby exclaimed, trying to release the zombie's grip on his wrist. But his efforts were in vain.

The walker reached down to the raccoon's wrist and sunk his teeth into his fur. "Dude? Are you alright?" Rigby heard Mordecai's voice outside of the room.

"No!" Rigby shouted, reaching for his hammer, that he'd holstered on his hip. Mordecai glanced through the crack of the door and into the room. Rigby kicked the walker away and raised his hammer. Rigby smashed the walker with the hammer, causing it to fall to the ground. Rigby smashed it again to finish it off.

Rigby stumbled back into a wall. Mordecai held his left shoulder and broke into the room. "What's going on?" The blue jay asked, looking over at the shocked raccoon. Rigby fell down the wall and onto the floor. He crossed his legs and folded his arms.

Mordecai approached Rigby and knelt to his level. Rigby showed Mordecai his wrist, which was still dripping blood. "Did you scratch yourself or something?" Mordecai asked. "I found a bandage, we can cover that." Mordecai added, acting like it was nothing.

"It bit me Mordecai." Rigby said, in a broken tone. Mordecai's eyes widened after he finished. "No fucking way!" Mordecai shouted. Rigby covered his eyes and looked away from the bird. Mordecai glanced over at the walker that was laying dead behind the door, then back to his friend.

Rigby stood up and looked at him. Rigby approached Mordecai and wrapped his arms around his waist. "I'm sorry…" He muttered.

Mordecai remained silent. He was too shocked to say anything. Rigby tightened his grip around his waist, not letting Mordecai go. The blood pouring from Rigby's wrist began to stain Mordecai's feathers. Rigby let go and stepped back. "There must be something we can do to help you…" Mordecai began to slightly panic. "No man…" Rigby sighed and adjust a strap on his backpack. He closed his eyes for a moment, before letting out a small sigh.

"My fate is sealed."

_Next Time, on A Regular Outbreak_

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"He can be saved right?" Luke asked, with an apologetic look on his face. "No man…" Mordecai wiped a few tears from his eyes. "He's dead." He added, with a cold tone.

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"We don't need any trouble. We're just trying to find a place to help our friend." Alpha attempted to calm the situation down. "I know a place. It's up in Idaho." The survivor replied. "I can take you there." He added.

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"I can lead them away from here!" He shouted, desperately trying to fight the zombies off. "Just go! I'll meet you there!" He shouted. "We can't leave you!" Rigby shouted, in a weak voice. "Yes you can! Don't let me die in vain! GO!" He shouted.

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"That's…that's gotta be it…" Mordecai said, staring in awe. "It has to be." Rigby said, in an extremely weak voice. Eileen and Hi-Five-Ghost appeared at the top of the wall with the soldier. "Is that Eileen?" Mordecai asked. Eileen and HFG gasped as they saw them.

"Mordecai! Rigby!"

**Another chapter. I'm sorry for how long it's taken! Thanks so much for being patient guys, this one took FOREVER to make. Writer's block and extreme amounts of school work is to blame there. I'm sure it's not only just me though, so that makes me happier. Thanks so much for reading everyone!**

**-RSM**


	22. Episode Twenty Two: The Three Wolves

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Five: Dead Man Walking**

**Episode One: The Three Wolves**

**May 16****th****, 2024, Morning**

**A/N; I'm finally back. Here is a recap of the whole story to keep you up to date on the most important events. These might not be exactly correct, but they are what happened. Thanks for reading!**

_Previously on A Regular Outbreak_

"Where's Muscleman?" Mordecai asked. There was a short silence. "And Pops?" Rigby asked, the silence continued. "They're both dead." HFG sighed. Skips shook his head in sadness.

"_Grief had already struck us on the first day. With two friends already dead. We both knew that it was just the beginning."_

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Mordecai saw Felix's reanimated corpse slowly crawling towards him. He knew he had to decide to leave him, or put him out of his misery. He raised the gun, his wing shaking. He lowered it and wiped a few tears away. "Let's go." He said, approaching the car.

"_You have to make choices to survive. However, some choices are too hard to make for yourselves."_

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"I can't raise our child on my own…please…wake up…" Micheal begged, his cheeks stained with tears. He felt Carly's body move underneath his hands and glanced down at it. "No!" Mordecai shouted, as Carly pulled her husband down and bit his neck. "NO!" Sean screamed.

"_We all have lost people, and we're going to continue losing more. There is nothing anyone can do about it."_

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Sean stabbed the kidnapper in the back, watching him fall to the floor. Sean looked at the knife and shook his head. "Let's go!" He whispered loudly.

"_Raising a kid in the apocalypse is harder than you think. You have to protect them, and teach them to survive on their own at the same time."_

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Rigby pulled Alpha in for a hug, before glancing over at Sean. "He looks like me." Alpha said, following Rigby's glance. Sean smiled and looked back up at them. "What happened to his parents?" Alpha asked, glancing at the raccoon. Rigby looked down at the floor and shook his head.

"_You're happy for the first few seconds when you meet an old friend. However, further down the line, sometimes you wish you hadn't met them in the first place."_

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After their daring escape, the duo walked down the long stretch of road. "I don't think we should've given that girl the supplies. We needed them." Mordecai looked over at Rigby. Rigby shook his head and looked back up at the taller one. "It may be the apocalypse, but that doesn't mean we can't help people." Rigby responded.

"_Fortunately for us, being friendly hadn't cost us yet. However I knew it would come back to bite us."_

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"Thomas!" Rigby shouted, as Thomas broke through the ice. The silence was almost deafening. Rigby drooped his head down and sighed. "He's gone." He muttered.

"_Being careful is the primary thing to survival. The weak ones will die first, while the strong will remain alive."_

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"Hey…" Sean greeted. Luke looked over at him, before getting out of the bush. "We won't hurt you." Sean looked at him. Luke glanced at the rest of the group, before looking over a Sean again, with a frightened face.

"_Love at first sight. It happens to all of us, but it has no place during the apocalypse."_

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Alpha pulled the trigger and the bullet went straight through Axel's brain. "What the fuck?!" Vivian screamed, as she watched her companion collapse to the ground. Alpha felt immediate grief, as he dropped the gun. The gun hit the floor, sending an entire echo through the dark store.

"_When people are scared. They get reckless. The walkers won't be the death of you, yourselves will."_

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Vivian reached for the gun on Mordecai's hip and held it up to Alpha's head. "No!" Margaret pushed him out of the way, moving forward while doing so. The whole group stood there, shocked. As the bullet fired from Mordecai's pistol pierced the robin's brain.

After an intense argument, the remaining group members trudged into the snow. Rigby looked back at Vivian, and watched her get eaten by the walkers that had surrounded her. He shook his head and continued walking.

"_When a group can't keep itself together, it falls apart. And unfortunately when it falls apart, people can die."_

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"Welcome to the farm!" Cody greeted, as the group exited the truck. "Nice place!" Rigby exclaimed, eyeing the farmhouse and the surrounding barns.

"_Things that look good aren't always as good as they seem. The farm we visited however, was no such place."_

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Luke smiled at Sean, before reaching forward to kiss him. There was no time for the other one to react. Their lips connected and they both smiled. Luke pulled away, remaining silent.

"_Remaining focused is vital to keeping yourself alive. Even if that means abandoning the people you love."_

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Cody's head exploded on impact, as the pellet pierced his skull. The insides of his head splattered all over the interior. Rigby had little time to react. He scooched over to the steering wheel and regained control of the vehicle.

"_If the leader falls, somebody has to step up. Otherwise the group will fall apart. A group without a leader, is like snow without cold."_

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Rigby wrapped his arms around Mordecai. "My fate is sealed." He sighed. Mordecai remained silent. He glanced at the dead walker at the door and tears began to fall from his eyes.

"_People think that there is a cure. People believe they will find a cure for the disease. But people die chasing impossible things. I should know."_

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**A/N; Now that you have read a little refresher, let's get on with the story.**

Rigby pulled away from his taller friend and looked him straight in the eye. "What are we gonna tell the others?" Rigby asked, covering the bite with his paw.

"I…I don't know man…" Mordecai shook his head. "There has to be something we can do…you can't die." Mordecai denied.

"Mordecai. Getting bitten means death. I'm going to die." Rigby bluntly explained. "I'm sorry man, we can't do anything." Rigby sighed.

"I'm sorry…it's just so…surreal." Mordecai held his head. "I just need a second." Mordecai sighed.

"Mordecai. We have two children out there who are counting on us. We need to go out there and make sure they're alright." Rigby walked over to the door and pushed it back open.

"But…" Mordecai attempted to argue with him. Rigby looked over at him, with a saddened face. Rigby pushed the walker out of the way and went back into the shop. "Wait for me!" Mordecai quickly ran after him.

"Look!" Rigby pointed to the front of the store. There were walkers at the door, trying to get in. Luckily, they weren't smart enough to pass through the whole in the window. "We can pass through the window silently, then we can get into the car without alerting any of the walkers." Rigby said, pointing over to the window.

"Can you do that in your condition?" Mordecai asked. Rigby gave him a dirty look. "Sorry." Mordecai sighed. Rigby shook his head and glanced back at the door.

"Do you think-…" The two men heard the sound of an engine being started. "The hell?" Rigby exclaimed, stepping back a little. "Is that the truck?" Rigby asked.

Mordecai looked back over at Rigby. "It sounds like it. We should go check-…" Suddenly, the truck smashed through the front door of the store, squishing the walkers that were banging on the door. "The fuck!?" Mordecai shouted.

"Get the fuck in!" Rigby noticed Alpha and Sean in the front of the truck. Mordecai checked his backpack, then glanced at Rigby's. "We've got enough supplies, let's just get the hell out of here." Mordecai said, running to the truck. Rigby followed him. On the way to the truck, a walker grabbed Rigby's leg. Rigby was quick to react and stomped its head. Rigby quickly opened the back door and jumped into the back seat with Mordecai.

"GO!" Sean shouted. Alpha looked behind him, through the back windscreen and reversed out of the store. Alpha turned to the left and glanced at the road ahead of him. "Where are we going?" Alpha asked, a slight bit of panic in his voice.

"Just go straight!" Mordecai exclaimed. Alpha pushed his foot down on the accelerator and the truck began speeding through the town. The truck was extremely loud, and not very fast. It put them at a massive disadvantage, due to the quantity of walkers that had surrounded them. Rigby looked through the back of the truck and saw a massive horde of walkers pursuing them.

"Can this thing go any faster?" Luke asked, peering over the front seat. Sean looked back at him and shook his head. "Damn it." Luke sighed.

Mordecai looked over at Rigby, who had covered his bite with the sleeve of his jacket. Mordecai gave him a worried look. Rigby looked back at him and frowned.

"What the fuck!?" Alpha suddenly shouted. He applied both of his feet onto the brake to stop the car. There was a massive line of cars blocking the way out of the town. "Hold on! We're gonna have to take an alternate route!" Alpha warned. He turned the truck to the left and began travelling down a different road.

Alpha saw the end of the road in front of him. He noticed a small space in-between two houses that was big enough for the truck to fit through. "Okay, hold on!" Alpha warned again. The truck drove over the curb and onto the grass. The truck passed through the space and onto another dead-end road.

"I think you can slow the truck down now." Sean said. Alpha nodded and began slowing the truck down. "Which way do we go now?" Sean asked, looking back at Mordecai.

"It's this next left, by memory." Rigby said, pointing out the front of the car. Alpha nodded and turned the truck to the left. A few minutes later, the group found themselves outside of the town. Luke crawled over the front seat and sat beside Sean. Alpha glanced over the back seat and saw Mordecai cradling Rigby in his arms.

"He's oddly quiet." Alpha said, looking up at Mordecai. Mordecai just looked back at him and frowned. "You guys should get some sleep. Hey Sean, get the map out from the glove compartment, would you?" Alpha asked. Sean nodded and reached over to the compartment in front of him.

He opened it and pulled out the foldable map. He shut the compartment and unfolded the map. "Where are we now?" Alpha asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"We just left Rock Springs." Sean replied.

"Do you still have your compass on you?" Alpha asked, looking over at Sean for a moment, before turning back to the road.

"Yeah! I do!" Sean exclaimed. He reached into his pocket, but his paw came out the other side. "Oh fuck." Sean cursed. "There's a hole in my pocket. The compass must've fallen out." Sean groaned.

"Damn it." Alpha sighed. "Oh wait! Nevermind, there's a sign right there." Alpha slowed the truck down so Sean could see it. Sean and Luke glanced over at the sign. "We're on route 191. Wasn't that the route that Rigby said we should be going on?" Sean asked.

"Yes, he did." Alpha replied. "So that means we're going the right way?" Alpha sped the truck up again.

"Seems like it." Sean replied, looking at the map. "It says here that we'll drive through a place called Eden." Sean noted. "That's not far away from where we are." Sean added.

"Good, we can probably stop there for supplies." Alpha breathed a sigh of relief. "And to be honest. I'm fucking starving." Alpha sighed.

"We all are." Luke shook his head. "Man, what I'd do for a good ol' home-cooked meal." Luke frowned.

"I could go for a steak right now." Sean shrugged.

"Oh man, I don't remember the last time I had a fully cooked steak." Alpha smirked. "It'd surely be better than the canned crap we've got." Alpha added, glancing over at Luke. Luke turned around and reached into the back seat.

"What're you doing?" Sean asked, with a hint of curiosity. Luke remained silent and reached for his back. He picked it up and practically threw it on his lap.

"Well…I found this a while back…" Luke said, as he opened the backpack. "I think it's almost past its use-by date though." Luke added.

"How do you know?" Sean asked. "It's not like any of us know what the date is." Sean gave Luke a sceptical look.

"Well, I know." Luke replied, pulling out a small wristwatch.

"You never told me you had a watch." Sean smirked.

"It stopped working a while back. Though, Cody was nice enough to give me some batteries for it." Luke smiled. "It doesn't just tell the time aswell. It tells what the date is, and how fast we are going." Luke explained.

"A watch telling us how fast we're going? That's stupid." Alpha chuckled. "I used to have a GPS for my old car a while back. It pissed the hell out of me, but my brother; Omega insisted that I kept it, if we ever went for a 'trip'." Alpha chuckled.

"Of course we never did, so the GPS was useless, as we barely left town." Alpha continued. "Every time I went even one mile over the speed limit, the GPS would sound an alarm and would continuously tell me to slow down." Alpha smiled. "And so this one day, Omega and I were driving around in the new car he bought. Of course he asked me to bring it with us, so I did." The wolf continued on.

"And we were driving along the highway, and the GPS wouldn't stop annoying me. The constant beeping and the voice telling me to slow down finally made me snap. So, I ripped it out of the cigarette lighter, and threw it out the window." Alpha laughed.

Luke laughed along with him. "I've never owned one personally, but I heard they're pretty irritating." Luke chuckled.

"Ha! That's an understatement, kid." Alpha smiled.

Sean looked at the two of them and smiled. "It's nice to hear people laughing." He said. "It feels like forever since I've heard somebody laugh." Sean sighed.

"Yeah, we should try to do that more often." Alpha looked at the two of them.

"Agreed." Sean and Luke said in unison. The truck continued to drive down the road, as snow began to fall again. Alpha switched on the wipers and began paying more attention to the road, while Luke and Sean turned to each other.

"There isn't much of us left." Sean muttered, peering over the back seat.

"Yeah…me…you…Alpha, Rigby…and Mordecai. Man, I miss the rest of us." Luke sighed. "Though I'd imagine you've lost more people than I have." Luke frowned.

Sean nodded. "I hate to agree with you on that one, but I guess I have." Sean sighed. Luke pulled Sean in for a hug. Sean rested his head on the shorter wolves' shoulder.

"I miss my parents." Sean pulled away from Luke and looked into his eyes.

"I do too man." Luke sighed. "I wish mine were here." Luke frowned.

"Mine too." Sean looked out the front windscreen. There were a few minutes of silence, before Sean decided to speak up.

"How did it ever come to this?" Sean asked, in a cold voice.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Sittin' here, in a truck with four strangers." Sean sighed. "All my real family are gone. But, I have you guys." Sean continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…" Sean sighed. "I never thought I'd be here. I thought I would be dead." Sean frowned.

"I remember on the first day of the apocalypse. My parents and I were desperately trying to escape New York. They told me it would be fine. And they told me that it would all work out." Sean sighed. "All I can say now, is they were wrong." Sean added.

Luke remained silent and shook his head. "But I'm glad they were wrong." Sean cracked a smile. "I don't know why I am, but I know I am." Sean looked back over at Luke.

"You don't need to worry about stuff like that." Luke shook his head. "Let's just enjoy the peace we have. It won't last." Luke said.

Sean nodded and smiled at him. "You know what I was thinking?" Sean asked.

"No, I can't read your mind." Luke smirked. Sean rolled his eyes and looked at him again.

"I was thinking about the kiss back at the farmhouse." Sean said. "Was that just a one-time thing?" Sean asked.

Luke cleared his throat the scratched his neck. "Of course not." Luke chuckled. He blushed a little bit, before looking over a Sean. "We can do it again, if you wish." Luke said, chuckling a little. Alpha looked over at them and smiled.

Sean reached over and wrapped his arms around Luke's shoulders. Luke did the same and they pulled themselves into each other. Alpha looked back over at them after a minute had past.

"Alright guys, you don't want to be enjoying it _too_ much." Alpha interrupted. Sean and Luke pulled away from each other and looked over at him. "You guys are too young for it." Alpha chuckled.

"There's no such thing as young during the apocalypse." Sean shrugged. Alpha just chuckled and looked back at the road.

"Oh! I forgot the whole point of the bag." Luke reached for his bag, which he had dropped during their kissing session. "There we go." He pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

"Where'd you find that?" Sean asked. "I found it at the hotel. It was in the fridge." Luke replied.

"It isn't cold though." He said, taking the cork out of the bottle. He looked over at Alpha. "Want a sip?" Luke asked.

Alpha glanced at the bottle. "Where did you get that?" Alpha asked.

"It doesn't matter. Do you want a sip or not?" Luke asked, becoming impatient.

"Uhm, no thanks. I gotta stay frosty. But if you got some left later, when I'm not driving, I would like some." Alpha said. Luke nodded and brought the top of the bottle to his mouth.

"You're gonna drink that stuff?" Sean asked, a little disgusted at the contents of the bottle. "It looks like crap mixed with water." Sean smirked.

"It isn't as bad as it looks. It actually doesn't taste that bad." Luke took a sip. He coughed a little after drinking it. He cleared his throat and handed the bottle to Sean. "Want a sip?" Luke asked.

"Are you sure it isn't shit?" Sean asked, not very confident about taking a sip.

"Yes, I'm sure. Otherwise I wouldn't drink it." Luke smirked. "Now go ahead." He added.

Sean sighed and put the top of the bottle in his mouth. Luke watched in awe as Sean drunk the rest of the bottle. "Goddamn!" He exclaimed. "That was your _first_ _drink_?" Luke asked, amazed.

"Yeah…it wasn't bad." Sean handed it back over to him.

"You drank the whole bottle!" Luke looked at the bottle.

"He what?" Alpha looked over at them. "I was hoping I'd get a drink." Alpha sighed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a liquor store in Eden." Luke shrugged. "We can grab a bunch of bottles and just have a party." Luke chuckled. The three wolves laughed, as the truck continued down the road.

_Meanwhile_

"_Curfew begins in fifteen minutes. Be sure to be in your designated tent before curfew has begun. If you are caught outside during your curfew, you will face punishment."_ A lady over an intercom spoke. Eileen looked up at the intercom, while the lady continued to repeat the same message.

Eileen noticed two people dressed in average clothes walk by, both of them speaking about the nearby town. "We'll head down to Swan Valley at the crack of dawn. The sooner we do it, the sooner we can shut the city down, so we can expand." One of them said.

"Yeah, it would be useful if we had more room. It's not like we can invite more people into this place." The other one tapped the wall of the facility. The other one nodded and they walked away.

Eileen shook her head and began walking back to her tent. She adjusted her glasses as she approached the tent.

She walked through the entrance into the tent and glanced at her bed. She noticed HFG on the top bunk. "I was wondering where you were." Eileen said, walking over to the bed.

"Same here. Curfew's beginning soon, I was thinkin' that I had to go find you." HFG said, looking down at her. Eileen shrugged and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I would've been fine." Eileen shrugged. "You don't need to worry." Eileen added, taking off her shoes and lying on the bed.

"How long do you think we'll be here for?" Eileen asked.

"Hopefully a long time. Or at least until they find a cure for this thing." HFG replied. "You think they will find a cure?" The ghost asked.

"I doubt it." Eileen sighed.

"I'm just trying to keep things positive." HFG sighed.

"I know, I wasn't trying to ruin the mood." Eileen frowned. "Let's try to get some sleep, huh? I sure as hell could use another good night's sleep." Eileen covered herself with a blanket.

"I guess. Night 'Leen." HFG turned over.

Eileen reached over to the bedside table and blew out the candle resting on the top. "Night." She put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Eventually, she fell asleep.

HFG looked down at her from the top bunk and cracked a small smile. "I sure as hell hope the guys are alright." HFG covered himself with the covers of the bed again and closed his eyes.

Both of them had the best sleep they'd ever had in a very long time.

**Alright guys, thanks for reading! This took forever to write and I'm glad it finally got written. See you in the next chapter! :3**

**Word count - 3749**


	23. Episode Twenty Three: Removal

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Five: Dead Man Walking**

**Episode Two: Removal**

**May 16****th****, 2024, Sunset**

Alpha held the steering wheel with an extreme force. He was exhausted, but who else would drive? Mordecai and Rigby were fast asleep in the back seat, and it's not like the kids could drive. Alpha glanced out his window and watched the sun set. He rolled down the window and leant on the frame. He ignored the wind that was blowing against his face and slowed the truck down a little.

He glanced at the speedometer. "I'm sure this'll be fast enough." Alpha whispered to himself, easing his grip on the steering wheel. He glanced out the window for the second time and noticed that the sun had finally set. His arm began getting soaked by rain that was beginning to fall. Alpha shook his head and rolled the window back up. He reached behind the steering wheel and switched on the windscreen wipers.

He reached behind the steering wheel again and switched on the lights. Alpha glanced ahead of him and noticed a green sign on the side of the road.

"Welcome to Eden." Alpha read, as he drove past. "Finally, I thought we'd never get here." He breathed a sigh of relief. Alpha tapped Sean on the shoulder. Sean jumped awake and yawned. The smaller wolf glanced back at him with a confused look. "We're here." Alpha said, pointing to the back seat. Sean nodded and began waking up the others.

Alpha dimmed the lights of the truck and noticed that the windscreen was covered in fog. Alpha attempted to wipe it off, but it was stuck to the glass. Alpha cursed under his breath and reopened his window. After rolling it down, he stuck his head outside and looked ahead of him. As the truck entered the town, the first thing Alpha noticed was a light further down the road. Eden was a fairly small town, so it didn't take them long to reach it.

Alpha stopped the truck in front of the light and noticed that the light was emitting from inside a liquor store. "Just my luck." He muttered, putting the truck in park. The wolf reached behind the steering wheel and removed the keys from the ignition.

"A liquor store. What did I say?" Sean looked over Alpha's shoulder.

"I know, right?" Alpha shrugged. "This would be the ideal place to spend the night." Alpha added, opening his door. Sean leapt over the front seat and followed Alpha through his door. Mordecai and Rigby quietly exited the truck with Luke. The five men met in front of the liquor store.

Alpha turned to Rigby. He noticed that Rigby was pale, and that he struggling to stand. Mordecai was keeping him on his feet. "Is he okay?" Alpha asked, directing everyone's attention to the raccoon. Rigby looked back at him and shook his head.

"He's just feeling a little sick. He should be better in the morning." Mordecai covered for him. Alpha gave him a sceptical look. "It's probably just pneumonia." Mordecai shrugged.

"Does he even know what that means?" Luke whispered to Sean. Sean shrugged and looked up at Alpha. Alpha shook his head and entered the liquor store. A few minutes later, he returned to the front. He gave the nod of approval. "It's safe." He said, ushering them back into the store. The group followed him inside.

Several minutes later, the group gathered around a fireplace, which fortunately for them, remained lit. The group members said goodnight to each other, and one by one, they eventually fell asleep.

_Later that night_

Alpha opened his eyes. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I can never get to sleep." He muttered to himself, looking at the fire. He scooched closer to the fire and rubbed his paws above it. He looked over at Sean, who was fast asleep beside Luke and Mordecai. Alpha looked over to his left and saw his raccoon friend lying beside him.

"We're almost there." Alpha said to nobody in particular. Alpha looked back down at Rigby, but before he could do anything else, he noticed something. Rigby's left sleeve had a tear at the bottom, and blood had poured down Rigby's arm.

Alpha crawled closer to Rigby and studied it closer. The wolf reached over to Rigby's sleeve and pulled it up slowly. As he moved the sleeve up, the bite became more and more visible. "What the hell?" Alpha said, rather loudly, causing Rigby to wake up.

"Urgh…what are you doing?" Rigby asked, opening his eyes. The raccoon looked down at his sleeve and noticed Alpha holding onto it. He noticed Alpha's horrified face and instantly felt a wave of guilt rush over him.

"When did this happen?" Alpha asked, in an angry tone. Rigby remained silent, and just stared at Alpha in the eyes. "Don't think the silent treatment is gonna work with me." Alpha's anger intensified. Before Rigby could say anything Alpha punched him in the shoulder. "Tell me!" Alpha shouted.

The sudden outburst woke up the other survivors. Rigby backed away from the angered wolf and held his left arm with his paw.

"What's going on?" Mordecai asked, walking over with Sean and Luke. "You woke us up." Mordecai yawned. Mordecai looked down at Rigby and saw his distraught face. Alpha stood up and approached the blue jay.

"Why didn't you tell me he was bitten?" Alpha asked. Mordecai was taken aback by this. Alpha noticed this and his angered somehow continued to intensify. "You're in on it aswell?" Alpha asked, disbelief obviously showing in his voice. "You have two children with you!" Alpha pushed Mordecai back.

"What's happening?" Sean asked, looking over at Alpha. Rigby walked back over to the group and sighed. Before Alpha got any angrier, Rigby began to explain how it happened. Unfortunately for him, explaining what happened only made Alpha angrier.

"Okay, so you thought it was a good idea to keep it a secret?" Alpha asked. "We could've done something for him!" Alpha exclaimed. "We could've taken his hand off!" Alpha shouted.

Suddenly, the whole store was filled with silence. "Wait." Mordecai broke the silence. "Do you think it would work?" He asked, looking down at Alpha.

"It's worth a try!" Luke chimed in. "If it isn't too late, there might still be a chance to save him." He added.

The whole group looked over at Rigby, who was holding his wrist. His face was covered in fear. "You're gonna cut my hand off…?" Rigby asked, in a hoarse voice. Mordecai approached him and knelt to his height. He placed a kiss on the raccoon's forehead, before looking into his eyes.

"We have to do this." Mordecai said. Rigby remained silent. He looked back up at Mordecai, who was returning the look with reassurance. Rigby nodded wearily. "Is that a yes?" Mordecai asked, already feeling sorry for his smaller partner. Rigby nodded once again.

"Is there anything sharp we can use?" Rigby asked. Alpha walked over to his backpack, while the rest of the group stood around in silence. A few seconds later, Alpha returned with a knife. "This could work." Alpha said, holding the knife in his right hand. It looked like an average kitchen knife, except that the handle was made of pure gold.

"Where did you get that?" Sean asked, with a hint of curiosity.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Alpha avoided answering the question.

"Of course I'm not." Rigby said, trying to lighten the mood. Mordecai and Alpha brought Rigby over to a nearby counter. Mordecai pushed the cash register off the counter, so Rigby could have enough space. Rigby placed his arm on the counter and sighed. Sean and Luke approached them.

"Obviously this isn't something you kids should be seeing." Mordecai said, grabbing Sean and Luke by their shoulders.

"We'll be fine." Luke said. Both Mordecai and Sean were taken aback by this and looked over at him. "We can watch, it doesn't matter how bad it is. If we're gonna learn how to survive, we're gonna probably have to watch things like this." Luke explained.

"Are you sure?" Mordecai asked, looking over at Sean. Sean looked over at Luke, before looking back at Mordecai. Sean nodded. "Alright then…just…let me know if it gets too much for you." Mordecai said. The two kids nodded. Mordecai walked back over to the counter.

Rigby reached for Mordecai's wing with his other paw. Mordecai quickly grabbed it. He felt Rigby squeeze it, though due to Rigby's lack of strength, he didn't feel much.

Alpha looked at Rigby one last time, before raising the knife above his wrist. "I'm gonna have to cut further up the arm, so we can take off the whole wrist so the bite doesn't spread." Alpha explained. "Is that okay?" He asked.

"Yeah...just…just cut it." Rigby begged. Alpha moved the knife further up his arm and rested the knife on Rigby's fur. Rigby watched as the knife sliced some of his fur off. He swallowed his courage and shut his eyes tight.

He began breathing a little faster, before reopening his eyes. "Just…to say something before we begin…" Rigby began. "If…If I don't make it through this…take-…" Alpha interrupted Rigby and begun digging the knife into the raccoon's arm. Sean cringed and looked away. Luke however, didn't take his eyes off it.

"FUCK!" Rigby screamed, as Alpha began moving the knife back and forth. Blood began to spill out of the newly made wound. "Just keep calm, it'll be over soon." Mordecai reassured him. Unfortunately for both of them, it didn't make a difference.

"GOD…DAMN…!" Rigby screamed. The pain was unbearable. "It's almost through! Just hold on!" Alpha shouted, pushing the knife further into his arm. He began cutting through the bone, as Rigby's blood began staining the blade. Blood had splattered all over the counter and was all over Alpha's face. Alpha pushed the knife with all of his might through the rest of the bone. And after a few seconds, he made one final cut and the knife went straight through. Rigby raised his newly-cut arm and screamed.

"OH MY GOD! MY ARM!" He screamed, he backed away from the counter. He began to fall backwards, but Mordecai managed to catch him in his arms.

Rigby passed out. Mordecai noticed his eyes close and began to panic. "Oh god! Is he dead?" Mordecai asked. Sean turned back around and saw Mordecai's horrified expression. Luke followed his glance.

"No." Alpha said, walking over to him. He put two fingers on Rigby's other arm. "He has a pulse. He's just passed out." Alpha explained. "I'll quickly grab the bandages." Alpha said, running over to his backpack. The wolf dropped the knife beside it and pulled out a bandage wrapped in a small package.

Alpha ran back over to Mordecai and brought him over to the counter. Mordecai laid Rigby's arm on the counter. "Wait, don't we need to disinfect it?" Mordecai asked, while Alpha ripped the package apart.

"We can use this." Luke approached with a bottle of alcohol. He placed the bottle on the counter. Alpha thanked him and pulled the cork out of the bottle. He raised the bottle and emptied some of its contents into a pad and rubbed the pad with Rigby's wound.

A few seconds later, he wrapped the bandage around the newly-cut arm. "Think that worked?" Alpha asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"It sure as hell better have." Mordecai said, growling slightly at the question. "It better not have been for nothing." He added.

"It wouldn't have. It should have worked." Alpha replied. He looked over at Rigby's bandage, which had already been stained with blood. "But it looks like he could be out for a while." Alpha added.

Mordecai nodded in response. "Okay, everybody get some sleep." Mordecai said, carrying Rigby over to the campfire. Alpha looked over at Luke and Sean.

"I don't know how you could have watched that." Alpha shook his head. Alpha walked over to the campfire and sat beside his backpack. Sean and Luke followed him close behind. The two kids sat in front of the campfire. Luke rested on Sean's shoulder, and eventually fell asleep. Sean on the other hand, was too busy worrying about his friend.

He looked over at Mordecai, who was cradling Rigby in his arms. Sean was still shocked about the whole fact about Rigby being bitten. He knew Mordecai and Rigby were the only two people who had taken care of him since his parents were killed. And just the thought of Rigby dying made Sean feel ill.

He knew that Mordecai cared about Rigby more than anyone or anything else, and that was the thing that saddened Sean the most. He was extremely worried that Rigby would never wake up again, but unfortunately, they wouldn't find out until morning. He glanced over at Alpha, who was overwrought. He had folded his arms and put his face into his knees. Sean noticed the bottle of alcohol beside him. "Can I?" Sean asked, reaching for the bottle.

Alpha just nodded and handed the bottle over to him. Alpha returned to staring at the fire, with his knees folded into his chest. Sean pulled out the cork and glanced at the bottle's contents. He brought the bottle to his mouth and begun drinking it. Sean savoured the taste of the alcohol, before pausing for a second.

He noticed Alpha staring intently at the fire. "Looks like you need it more than I do." Sean said, handing the bottle over to Alpha. Alpha smiled at him and thanked him for the friendly gesture. Sean smiled back at him and glanced over at Luke. Sean rubbed Luke's hair and rested his head atop of Luke's.

He looked one last time at Mordecai and Rigby, then to Alpha before sighing once again. Everything was going to shit, and there was nothing he could do about it. He pushed these thoughts away and closed his eyes. He needed to get as much sleep as he could, because tomorrow, they had a lot of ground to cover.

A few minutes later, Mordecai looked over at Sean and noticed that he was fast asleep. The blue jay looked over at Alpha, who had fallen asleep while drinking his bottle. He looked down at Rigby, and leant against the shelf. He kept thinking to himself.

"I had one job." He muttered to himself. "One job. Protect the only people I care about." He continued. "Thomas, Margaret, Benson, Skips..." Mordecai shed a tear. "And now you…" He looked down at the raccoon.

"I'm so sorry." He sighed, before looking over at Sean. "But don't worry. You'll be here to help me protect Sean and Luke. Alpha will help you too." Mordecai tried to remain positive. The bird knew he was talking to himself, it didn't matter though, and he had a feeling that Rigby was listening somehow.

Mordecai put these thoughts to rest and rested his head on the shelf behind him. Eventually, he closed his eyes and fell into deep sleep.

He had a big day tomorrow, and he had to have his rest.

**There we go, another chapter. I hope this one sufficed for you all! Only three more to go after this. Thanks so much for reading, and I will update as soon as I get the chance. Special thanks to AeroAlpha for his continued support through the whole series. Thanks friend!**

**~RSM**


	24. Episode Twenty Four: On the Road

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Five: Dead Man Walking**

**Episode Three: On the Road**

**May 17****th****, 2024, Late Afternoon**

Rigby opened his eyes cautiously. He was exhausted, but he needed the rest. His eyes were half open, he yawned, before opening them fully. He realised they were back in the truck, and that he was lying in Mordecai's arms.

"On the left!" Mordecai shouted. Alpha suddenly turned the truck to the left, slightly tilting it.

"I got it! I got it!" Alpha shouted back, jamming his foot back on the accelerator. Rigby looked up at Mordecai.

"He's awake!" Mordecai exclaimed. He brought Rigby close to his face and hugged him. Sean and Luke peered over the seat.

"What…what happened?" Rigby asked, his voice weaker than ever.

"You passed out from the shock." Alpha replied.

"Shock?" Rigby asked. He felt pain in his left arm and looked over at it. He noticed that half of his arm wasn't there anymore. "My…my arm…!" Rigby exclaimed.

"Don't you remember what happened?" Luke asked.

"No, I don't." Rigby answered.

"We took part of the arm off to make sure you didn't die from the bite." Alpha explained. "I just hope it worked." Alpha sighed.

Rigby pushed himself off Mordecai and sat beside him. Mordecai gave him a worried look, but Rigby decided to ignore it. The raccoon turned his attention to Alpha. "Where are we?" Rigby asked.

"Not sure. We left Eden at sunrise, and we've passed through a few towns since then." Alpha replied. "So, I'm guessing we're close to the border." He added.

"The border to what?" Rigby asked.

"Idaho." Mordecai answered. "Swan Valley isn't far from the border." He added. "Once we get there, we can take you there and get you fixed." Mordecai explained.

Alpha shook his head and sighed. Sean and Luke scooched closer to him. Sean looked up at him. "You think they can fix him?" Sean asked.

"Not sure kid, but I doubt it." Alpha quickly replied. He slowed the car down and turned the steering wheel to the right. "Check the map." Alpha said.

Sean reached under the seat and pulled out a folded up map. He opened the map and scanned it. "There's a town up ahead." Alpha said, directing everyone's attention to the front.

"Can we stop?" Rigby asked.

"No. We have to push on to Swan Valley." Alpha replied, looking over at the side of the road. "We're driving through Bondurant." Alpha said, as they entered the town.

"Okay…we should be fine for a while after we get through it. Eventually we'll reach the end of the route further down the road." Sean explained. "After that, we should turn left not Route 26." Sean finished. "I'll tell you more once we get closer." Sean put the map back under the seat and looked out the front.

"I feel sick…" Rigby muttered. Mordecai looked down at him, then at Alpha, who was looking over at them with a worried face.

"It's alright…you'll be fine." Mordecai felt his forehead. "He's got a hell of a fever." Mordecai shook his head.

"I guess we'll have to stop." Alpha muttered. "Sean, check the map for me, would you?" Alpha asked. Sean nodded and reached back under the seat. He grabbed the map and opened it up.

"What am I looking for?" Sean asked.

"A pharmacy." Alpha replied. "We need to get medicine for Rigby." He added.

Sean scanned the map for Bondurant. Eventually, he found it. He looked down at the bottom map for the street map of it. "Okay…three streets in there is a Pharmacy." Sean explained. "It's got big blue writing out the front of it." Sean added.

Alpha nodded and slowed the truck down. "What street is it on?" Alpha asked.

"Barnaby Drive." Sean answered. Alpha nodded and looked at the street signs as he continued down the road. Eventually, Alpha spotted the street sign he'd been looking for. He turned the truck to the right and entered the street. He suddenly had to stop. "Great, just…great." Alpha muttered, as he stopped the truck.

The whole road was covered with rubble. He glanced to his right and noticed the pharmacy. The name of the store was hanging off the top. "Stay here. I'll be back." Alpha said, opening the driver's side door.

"Are you sure?" Mordecai asked.

"I'm sure, alright?" Alpha replied. Mordecai nodded.

"Wait, what if something happens?" The bird asked.

"Well, if something DID happen, we'd have to find somewhere to meet." Alpha answered. "So…I guess down the road." Alpha shrugged.

Mordecai nodded. Alpha jumped out of the truck. He slammed the door behind him. He walked around the front of the truck and approached the pharmacy. He crawled over the rubble and reached the door.

Alpha pulled the door open and entered the pharmacy. It was dark inside the pharmacy, the windows were all boarded up, and there were no candles. He heard a noise at the back of the store. He crouched down and slowly began to move towards the noise. He walked down the aisle to reach to the back.

Once he got there, he noticed a generator. He approached it and looked at it intently. "What's this doing here?" He asked.

Suddenly, the lights of the pharmacy lit up. Alpha looked up at the roof, as the lights continued to flash on. "Hands up." Alpha heard somebody say. He turned around and put both of his hands up.

"Take it easy." Alpha said. The person who had told him to put his hands up approached him. Alpha noted that it was a fox. The fox raised a crossbow to Alpha's head. "That your people outside?" The fox asked, looking at Alpha.

Alpha nodded. "Yes…they are." He said. "You aren't gonna hurt me, right?" Alpha asked.

The fox shook his head and lowered the crossbow. "It ain't loaded anyway." He said, lowering the crossbow to his thigh. Alpha lowered his paws and looked at the fox.

"What's yer name?" The fox asked, folding his arms.

"Alpha…" Alpha replied, hesitating a little. "What's yours?" He asked.

"Jay." The fox answered. He outstretched his hand. Alpha shook his hand and looked back at the generator.

"Do you have any spare supplies?" Alpha asked. Jay nodded. "We need, um…well." Alpha thought for a second. "We've got a man wounded. He has a fever and he's in a lot of pain." Alpha exclaimed.

"What's wrong with him?" Jay asked.

"He got bit yesterday." Alpha replied. "We had to take part of his arm off to make sure he didn't get infected." Alpha explained.

"Here…I'll be right back." Jay said, walking into the back room. Alpha looked around the pharmacy for a few seconds, before Jay returned. "Here." Jay handed him two medicine bottles and a bandage.

"This'll take care of the fever." Jay said, pointing to one of the medicine bottles. "The other will help with the pain." Jay continued. "And the bandages are just for good measure." Jay finished.

"Thank you so much." Alpha smiled at him. "I honestly thought you were gonna 'off me." Alpha glanced at the door of the pharmacy. "Look…" Alpha began. "We're going to take our friend somewhere safe." Alpha continued.

"Ever heard of a place called Swan Valley?" Alpha asked.

Jay nodded. "Yeah, I have." He answered.

"Well…we could use some extra help…do you want to come along with us?" Alpha asked. Jay remained silent for a second, before looking around the pharmacy.

"Actually…yes…I'd like to join ya." Jay answered. Alpha nodded and threw his backpack back over his shoulder. "Well…come along then." Alpha began to walk to the front of the store. Jay reached behind the generator and pulled out a small green backpack.

"Let's get moving then." Jay walked through the store. Alpha pushed the door open and Jay followed him outside. Alpha led Jay to the truck. Alpha opened the driver's seat door and entered the truck. "Who's that?" Sean asked, as Jay entered the back seat.

"He's gonna help us get to Swan Valley." Alpha whispered back. Jay shut the door behind him and sat beside Mordecai. He looked down at his arms and saw Rigby.

"Is he alright?" Jay asked, eyeing the unconscious raccoon.

Mordecai ignored him and continued caressing his smaller friend. Jay looked down at Rigby's missing hand and shook his head. 'I sure as hell hope that he's alright.' He thought to himself.

He didn't know these people, but that didn't mean that he couldn't mourn for them. Alpha turned the key and started the truck.

Alpha handed his backpack to Sean and told him to pass it to Mordecai. Sean nodded and reached over the back seat. "Here." Sean said, putting the bag beside him. Mordecai looked over at Sean, and put one hand in the backpack.

He pulled out a medicine bottle. "Fever-Away." He read. "Perfect." He muttered. He opened the medicine bottle and pulled out two capsules. "Should I give them to him now?" Mordecai asked.

Alpha looked over the back seat and glanced at Rigby. "He asleep?" He asked. Mordecai nodded. "Try to wake him up. If you can't…then you might have to just shove 'em down his throat." Alpha explained.

The wolf turned the steering wheel to the left and the truck began rolling towards the main road. Alpha turned right and pushed his foot harder on the accelerator. Jay looked back over at Mordecai, who was trying to wake his smaller partner up.

"Come on." Mordecai tapped the raccoon on his nose. After a few minutes of trying to wake him up, he gave up. He opened Rigby's mouth and dropped the capsules into it. "There you go…" He whispered.

Jay folded his arms and looked out of his window. He kept his crossbow on his lap and his backpack on the ground in front of him. Jay leant on the frame of the window and sighed. He was exhausted, so he took this time to try to get some sleep.

Jay felt his eyelids getting heavy. His eyesight slowly began to fade and he eventually fell asleep onto the frame.

Sean watched Jay fall asleep on the frame, before glancing back at Luke. "Who's the new guy?" He whispered to him. Luke shrugged. Sean noticed the crossbow and turned to Alpha. "Think he'll hurt anyone of us?" Sean asked.

"I doubt it." Alpha replied. "Try not to worry about it alright? We're just giving him a lift to Swan Valley." Alpha continued. "If it will make you feel better, grab his crossbow." Alpha suggested. Sean looked back over the seat and eyed the crossbow that's in his lap.

"There's no arrows in the crossbow." Sean noted.

"And he said there were none in his backpack either." Alpha said. Sean sat back in his seat and crossed his legs.

"Hey…Alpha." Luke said.

"Yeah, kid?" Alpha looked over at the smaller kid.

"Will it be safe there?" Luke asked.

"Safe where?" Alpha looked back over at him.

"Swan Valley." Luke replied.

"I…I'm sure it will be fine. They…they might be strict, but if that means that there's a chance that this group can survive, you'll have to deal with it." Alpha answered. "Don't worry, even if something goes down there, all of us will be here to help you out." Alpha smiled at the two.

"Not _all_ of us." Sean sighed. Alpha shook his head, he knew that Sean was referring to Rigby.

"Remain positive kid. It'll keep your spirit going." Alpha said. "Spirit is what drives us, haven't you seen FurryMon?" Alpha asked.

Sean and Luke gasped at the same time. "Oh! I love that show!" Sean chuckled.

"Oh man, same here!" Luke exclaimed.

"Even _I_ loved that show." Alpha chuckled. "I didn't think FurryMon was still cool." Alpha added.

"It was." Sean replied. "I had all of the figures!" Sean exclaimed, excitedly.

"I doubt it. There's like a million to collect." Luke argued.

"I'm sure there's not _that_ many." Alpha shrugged.

"Actually…" Sean said, reaching under the seat. "I think I still have a few of them in my backpack." He added, placing his backpack on his lap.

"Which ones ya got?" Luke asked, looking over Sean's shoulder. Sean reached into his backpack and pulled out a small figure. One of its arms fell off when he took it out.

"Damn it…" Sean sighed. "Well, this is the only one I got." Sean handed it to Luke.

"I haven't seen this one before…cool." Luke examined the figure. Sean looked over at Alpha. 'The map!' Sean thought to himself.

Sean reached under his seat and pulled out the map. "Ah, good idea." Alpha broke the silence.

"Which way do I go?" Alpha asked.

"Further down the highway, we'll reach a fork in the road. Turn left and eventually we'll reach Alpine." Sean explained.

"Good, it should be night time by then." Alpha replied. Sean showed the map to Luke and they both made their observations, while Alpha concentrated on the road.

Meanwhile, in the back seat. Mordecai continued to cradle the raccoon in his arms. "You'll be fine…alright?" Mordecai whispered, rubbing Rigby's forehead. "You continue to get some rest friend, we'll be at Swan Valley before you know it." Mordecai smiled. Mordecai rested his wing on Rigby's heartbeat.

Mordecai calmed himself down by listening to the raccoon's heart beats. He knew that Rigby was going to be fine, he knew it in his heart. He looked over at Alpha, who was intently watching the road. Mordecai was lucky to have such good friends to keep them safe. He looked to the right, to Jay, who was sound asleep.

'I hope I get a chance to properly talk to him.' Mordecai thought to himself. 'If he can help us get to the haven, we will all owe him our lives.' Mordecai continued.

Mordecai closed his eyes and held Rigby close to his chest. He noticed the smaller one's breathes begin to get gravelly. It was as if Rigby was struggling to breathe. He pushed these thoughts away and held Rigby against his chest.

"Goodnight." He whispered, before falling asleep against his seat.

_Meanwhile_

A sudden gunshot awakened a sleeping mole. She gasped and sat up, hitting the end of the bed by accident. "Damn it…" She muttered. "Hey…HFG." She whispered, tapping the side of the bed.

HFG got up from his covers and flew up to the top bunk. "You hear that noise, too?" HFG asked, rubbing his eyes. Eileen nodded. "Should we go check it-…" Another gunshot echoed through the area.

"Take 'em down!" Someone outside of the tent shouted. "I can't see him!" Somebody else shouted. A few more gunshots rung through the air. Eileen jumped down from the top bunk. Eileen and HFG approached the entrance to the tent and peeked through the crack.

Soldiers were hiding behind cover, their guns at the ready. One of them peeked out of cover and pulled the trigger of the assault rifle he was holding, emptying a clip into a nearby person.

Suddenly, a soldier approached the entrance to the tent. Eileen and HFG backed off as he entered the tent. "What's going on?" Eileen asked. The soldier panted after he entered.

"We…we got some…some intruders outside. Just…remain inside the tent, while we deal with it." The soldier ordered. "Got it?" The soldier asked. Eileen and HFG nodded. "Just stay inside the tent, when we've taken care of it, we'll come back to check on you all." The soldier explained.

"Mmk." Eileen nodded. The soldier thanked them and left the tent. "I guess we should try to get some shut-eye." Eileen said, climbing up onto the top bunk. HFG agreed and laid on the bottom bunk of the bed.

A few minutes later, the noises outside subsided, and sure enough, two soldiers entered the tent. "You two alright?" One of them asked. Eileen nodded.

"What was all the commotion outside?" Eileen asked, sitting up on her bed.

"Some people came to the gate, asking to enter." The other soldier answered. "There were like, six of them." He added.

"And, due to a capacity issue, we could only let two in." The first soldier pointed to the other bunk bed across from them. "Fortunately they didn't agree, and decided to try to take us over." He continued.

"Are they all gone?" Eileen asked.

"Yeah, they're gone. Try to get some sleep now, alright? We're gonna need some help from you to help clean up some of the mess we just recently made outside." The second soldier pointed to the entrance of the tent. "And we know you are a good volunteer." He added.

"Yeah, I'd like to help." Eileen replied. "If it helps keep this place safe for everybody else, then I'll do everything I can to assist you." She added.

"We oughta make you a soldier at this rate." The first soldier chuckled. "Okay, get some rest." He added. Eileen nodded and laid back down on the bed. She covered herself with the covers, while the two soldiers left the tent.

Eileen closed his eyes and adjusted her position on the bed. "Night." Eileen said.

"Night." HFG replied. HFG closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.

_Five hours later_

Alpha lowered his eyelids, he was losing concentration and consciousness. He had been driving for hours, without a single break. Plus, the snow that was piling up on the windscreen made it much harder for him to see what's around him. Even _with_ the windscreen wipers on. Alpha slowed the truck down and rolled down the window halfway. He looked outside the window, the snow hitting his face.

He slowed the truck down further and noticed a sign on the side of the road. 'Alpine'. He read. They were finally there. Alpine. One of the closest cities to the border, and Swan Valley couldn't be any further away. Alpha couldn't even tell what time it is, due to the clouds of snow covering the skies above him.

During the time he'd begun driving again, a snow storm had begun, and it was far from over. Along the way, he would see clumps of walkers on the side of the road. He had noticed that the cold had rendered the walkers almost completely still.

He took note of this, so he would remember it for the future. "Hey, we're here." He said, as they entered Alpine. Mordecai opened his eyes and stretched. "We…we what?" He asked, yawning mid-sentence.

"We're at Alpine." Alpha repeated. "Be prepared, and get your gear ready. It's freezing outside." Alpha warned. Mordecai nodded and looked down at his friend, who was still in his hands. Mordecai noticed Rigby's skin become paler. He shook his friend awake.

"Urgh…wh…what?" Rigby opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the bird. "Are…are we there yet?" Rigby asked, in a gravelly voice.

"Not yet…but we're almost there." Mordecai replied. Rigby sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes.

"I…I feel…I feel a little better." Rigby said.

"You don't look better." Mordecai gave him a sceptical look.

"I don't?" Rigby replied. "I feel a lot better…" Rigby repeated. "You got any water on you? It feels like I haven't had any in forever." Rigby asked, looking down at where his hand should've been. "It's crazy…I keep doing a double take on my hand…expecting it to be there…" Rigby chuckled.

"Me too." Mordecai chuckled along with him. The blue jay reached over the raccoon, his chest pressed up against the smaller one's face. Mordecai reached for his backpack and pulled out a small bottle of water from one of the outside pockets.

He shook the bottle and opened the lid. "There's half a bottle left." Mordecai said, pressing the bottle against Rigby's lips.

"I can do this on my own." Rigby took the bottle from Mordecai's hands. The bird looked to the right and noticed Jay waking up. The fox stretched and put the crossbow on the ground behind the seat in front of him. Jay reached for his backpack and put it on his lap. Mordecai watched him open the main pocket and pull out a small pistol. Jay reached into the backpack and pulled out a magazine. Jay emptied the empty magazine from his pistol and added the newer one. He put the magazine in place. The clicking sound alerted Alpha, who looked over the back seat.

Alpha eyed the pistol and shook his head. Mordecai looked back over at the backpack, but something else caught his eye. He noticed a nametag on the front of the backpack.

Mordecai gasped when he read the name.

'Jamie'

**Wow! I finally got off my sorry ass and made another chapter. *Clap* Hooray for me! I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've had tons of work to do, seeming as the school year is coming to a close for me, and I have a lot of preparations to do.**

**And, this is pretty important. I'm losing interest in this story, due to the lack of reviews. I will continue this story until it's end, but I would be happier if I could get a few reviews to tell me if I'm doing an alright job. Because this may be my final massive RS fic. **

**And I'm sure nobody remembers Jamie. She was a fellow survivor that Mordecai and Rigby came across almost immediately after they escaped the prison. So how does he have her bag? What happened to her? Will Rigby survive?**

**Find out in the next chapter of A Regular Outbreak. (Only two to go!)**


	25. Episode Twenty Five: Closing In

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Five: Dead Man Walking**

**Episode Four: Closing In**

**May 17****th****, 2024, Evening**

Mordecai stared at the name-tag on the backpack. He glanced up at Jay, who had turned to face him. "What are you staring at?" Jay asked, a blank expression plastered over his face.

"I've seen that backpack before." Mordecai replied, attracting Jay's attention. "In fact…" Mordecai adjusted his position on the seat. "I remember someone who wore the exact same backpack." He continued.

Jay remained silent. He rubbed his shoulder and looked away for a moment. "How do you have her backpack?" He asked.

Jay sighed. "Jaime…she…" He began. "She…we…we were close." He stuttered. Mordecai gave him a sceptical look. "I saw you speak to her. Back on the road." He continued.

Mordecai gave him a surprised look. "After you guys left…she came back to me. We…we were going to rob you and take your things…" Jay continued to explain.

"But…when she returned. She said that she had changed her mind, because you had been generous enough to give her supplies." He continued.

Mordecai was having trouble taking all of this in as he continued. "Later that day…Jaime and I were scouting the nearby town. She was searching in one of the main stores, when a walker snuck up on her…" Jay finished.

"All…all I need to say. Is that I took her backpack." Jay winced. He rubbed some dust off the name-tag and looked at Mordecai one final time. "This is all I have left of her." He put his backpack in front of him.

"I'm sorry." The bird apologized. "I shouldn't have asked." He added.

"No…it's fine." Jay argued.

Alpha suddenly stopped the truck. "What's the-…" Mordecai peered over the front seat. Alpha shushed him and whispered for him to get down.

Sean and Luke were already under the front seat. Jay noticed all of them crouching down and laid down on the back seat.

Rigby remained quiet on the back seat. "What's going on?" Mordecai whispered in Alpha's ear. Alpha pointed out the front windscreen.

Mordecai looked out of it and noticed a car pulled up in front of a comic book store. He also spotted a man in front of it.

Jay reached for his backpack and pulled out an arrow. He loaded the crossbow quietly and silently opened the back door of the truck. "What should we do?" Mordecai whispered.

"Let's just keep quiet and allow him to pass." He whispered back. Alpha looked over to the right and noticed Jay's body silently approaching the car in front of them. "What is he doing?!" Alpha whispered loudly. Mordecai peered over the right side window and saw Jay approach the car.

He also noticed that Jay's gear wasn't in the truck anymore, he had it all on him. The two men watched Jay approach the car.

At the same time, the man had managed to open the door to the store. "There we go…" He whispered as he entered.

Jay reached the car. He opened the back right door and peered inside. The fox entered the back seat of the station wagon and peered over into the trunk. He noticed a massive blanket covering the whole trunk. He raised a brow.

He saw lots of bumps in the blanket and thought that there may be something of use in there.

He reached under the blanket with one of his paws. When he raised it, he was greeted with a horrifying sight. Covering the trunk, were decapitated heads, all of them had reanimated.

"Oh my god…" Jay covered his mouth. "What…who would do this?" Jay asked himself. He heard a bell ring and noticed the man had exited the store.

He noticed that the man was carrying a few more heads in his hands. Jay shook his head and quietly exited the car. He tried shutting the door slowly, but unfortunately the noise from the door shutting alerted the man.

He walked around the back of the car and saw Jay crouched behind the door. The man acted like Jay wasn't there and popped open the trunk.

He emptied the heads into the trunk and slowly shut it. He walked back towards Jay and shook his head. "What are you doing?" He asked, in a gravelly voice.

"I was just checking for supplies…" Jay replied.

"In my car?" He folded his arms.

"Yeah…I was just wondering about the heads…" Jay stood back up.

"It's a bet." The other man responded.

"A friend and I made a bet about how many walker heads we could find." He added. Jay just shrugged. He looked away for a moment, before turning back to him.

"Where's your friend?" Jay asked.

"He's back at my camp." He responded.

Jay paused for a moment. "There's something…eerily familiar about you. Have we met?" The fox inquired. He man paused for a moment. "What's your name?" Jay asked.

"Stan." He responded. "What's yours?" He asked.

"Jay…" The fox replied. "I know who you are…" Jay gasped. He pulled out his crossbow and pointed it at his head. "You fucker!" He suddenly shouted. He whacked Stan across the face with his crossbow, knocking him to the ground.

Alpha quickly jumped out of the truck, quickly followed by Mordecai and the two kids. "Jay, what's going on?" Alpha asked. As they approached, they quickly recognised the male. "You?" Alpha asked, letting out a small gasp.

"Long time no see." Stan said, getting back up. He leant against the station wagon. The six survivors surrounded him. "I was sure you'd perished out there." Stan chuckled. "Oh…and where's the other two?" He asked.

Stan noticed the sadness on Alpha's face after he said that. "Oh? So they didn't make it?" Stan chuckled. "That's great to hear." He added. Alpha kicked Stan in the knee, causing Stan to fall back onto the ground.

"I should fucking kill you, right now." Jay said, pointing the crossbow to Stan's head.

"Why don't you?" Stan asked, pulling himself back up. "There's nothing stopping you…all you gotta do is shoot me." He chuckled. "You wouldn't have the guts to do it anyway." He added.

"How do you know him?" Mordecai looked over at Jay.

"I killed some of his friends." Stan boasted. "I don't regret it." He added. The anger built up inside Jay. He attempted to push it away, but it did no good.

"There you go." Stan said, noticing his anger. Sean and Luke hid behind Alpha, watching the event unfold. "Go ahead. Do it." He said, his voice lowering slightly.

Jay pulled the trigger and the arrow pierced Stan's chest. The arrow went straight through his chest, and the end of the arrow could clearly be seen sticking out of his back.

"No!" Luke exclaimed. Alpha looked down at him and knelt down to his height. Jay saw Luke's horrified face and realised what he'd just done.

"Why did you do that!?" Luke shouted.

"He…I needed to…he killed…" Jay dropped the crossbow. "God…I don't even know." He collapsed beside Stan's body.

"Go back to the car, kids." Mordecai ordered. "Go check on Rigby, okay?" Mordecai asked, a little less demanding.

Sean nodded. He wrapped his arm around Luke's shoulder and led him to the truck. "I wish the kids hadn't seen that…" Jay sighed. He got back up and looked at Alpha and Mordecai.

"Those kids have seen more than you think." Alpha said.

"That doesn't mean that it didn't traumatize them." Jay frowned. "Come…come on." Jay sighed. "Let's just get out of here. It's gonna get dark soon." He said.

The sudden sound of moaning surprised the three men. Stan suddenly began to move. His eyes had been replaced with a white colour and his skin had turned pale.

"Walker!" Alpha shouted. But before anyone had time to act, Stan's reanimated body sunk its teeth into Jay's leg.

Mordecai quickly took his gun out of his pants and shot Stan in the head. He collapsed back onto the ground. "Well. Im fucked." Jay bluntly said.

"We can just cut the arm off…" Alpha suggested.

"No…I don't wanna go through that." Jay argued. "Just shoot me." He ordered.

"No, that isn't an option." Mordecai calmly declined.

"I've got nothin' to live for. I'm a dead man. Just shoot me, come on." Jay said. "Stop wasting all of our time." He calmly scolded him.

Mordecai just shook his head. "I'm not shooting you." Mordecai raised his voice. Jay shook his head and snatched the gun from Mordecai's hands. Mordecai quickly stood back, worried that he was going to get shot by him.

Jay didn't waste any time. He put the barrel of the gun right beside his head and pulled the trigger. The gun fell to the ground. Alpha quickly picked it up and moved back towards Mordecai.

"I could've done something…" Mordecai sighed.

"Don't worry about it…we gotta go!" Alpha shouted.

Walkers began coming from all directions, obviously attracted to the gunshots that had ringed through the whole area.

"The whole town will be on top of us! Let's move!" Alpha grabbed Mordecai's shoulder and practically dragged him to the truck.

Alpha and Mordecai quickly entered the truck. Sean and Luke had been sitting in the back seat with Rigby.

"Drive!" Mordecai shouted. Alpha turned the key and started the truck back up again. He glanced at the fuel gage and noticed that they only had a quarter of a tank left.

He quickly turned his attention back to driving the truck. He put it in drive and the truck sped down the main street.

Alpha tightened his grip on the steering wheel and pushed his foot as hard as he could on the accelerator.

Alpha noticed a herd of walkers in front of them. "Hold on!" He shouted. There was no way around. He began ploughing into walkers as they exited the town.

One of the walkers that he had hit bounced off the front and into the front windscreen. It went right through and it was desperately trying to reach Alpha and Mordecai.

"Take it out!" Alpha shouted, trying to keep his distance from it. Mordecai grabbed his gun and aimed it at the walker. He pulled the trigger, but the only thing that came out was a clicking sound.

"There's no more bullets!" Mordecai exclaimed. He turned the gun around and smashed the walker's brains in with the gun.

Alpha suddenly swerved to the right, causing the walker to fall back outside. The truck went off the road and into the snow. Alpha tried to get back up onto the road, but to no avail.

"Damn it!" He shouted. He turned the wheel to the left, causing the truck to follow the action. Alpha reversed the truck a little, before crushing the accelerator panel with his foot.

Fortunately, the truck sped through the snow and back onto the road. He breathed a sigh of relief as the truck continued down the icy road.

He slowed the truck down a little bit and looked over the back seat. "Alpine was the last town before Swan Valley, so we should be there soon." Alpha said.

"That's great!" Sean exclaimed. A smile.

Alpha saw a smile on somebody's face. It felt like forever since he'd seen one, and he hoped that he could see more of them in the future.

"Imagine it kids…a place where you can feel safe!" Mordecai said, peering over the seat. "A place where you can play games with other children...and not have to worry about any bad things happening!" Mordecai said, cheerfully.

"And having _real_ meals, instead of the crap you cook." Alpha chuckled.

"Hey, I cook better than you." Mordecai teased. But the happiness was suddenly interrupted by Rigby. Rigby began coughing.

Each time he did, blood would come out of his mouth. "Oh god…" Mordecai said, hopping over the front seat. Sean and Luke backed off a little.

"What's wrong?" Alpha asked, his smile turning into a frown.

"He's…he's still got a fever. His whole body…it's…" Mordecai looked up and down Rigby's body. The colour of it had faded to a light brown.

"It's completely pale..." Mordecai announced. He looked at Rigby's eyes and noticed dark circles under them.

"It didn't work." Mordecai plainly said.

"What?" Alpha asked. He slowly stopped the truck and directed his attention to the back seat. "What didn't work?" Alpha repeated.

"Cutting off the arm." Mordecai replied. "He's turning…" Mordecai winced as those words escaped his mouth.

"How do you know?" Luke asked.

"Look at him." Mordecai said. Luke looked over at Rigby and shook his head. "I've seen this happen too many times to not know." He added.

"Is there anything we can do?" Alpha asked.

"I hope so…let's just get to Swan Valley. We'll take him to the doctors at the haven and see what they can do." Mordecai said. "We can't waste any time." He added.

Alpha nodded and quickly turned back around. He put his foot on the accelerator and the truck began speeding down the road again.

"Here…take this." Luke handed Mordecai a small rag.

Mordecai had laid Rigby in his lap. He raised Rigby's head and wiped some of the blood off of his face. He caressed his smaller companion in his arms. He lowered his head and placed a small kiss on his forehead.

No words were exchanged between the survivors while they closed in on Swan Valley. An hour passed before Alpha broke the silence.

"We're 20 miles out." He announced. "Be prepared for when we get there." He added.

"We will." Mordecai replied. A snow storm had begun during the hour period and the windscreen was almost completely covered with snow.

It was so cold that the windscreen wipers had become frozen. Alpha rolled down the window and grabbed a rag from the glove-box.

He reached onto the windscreen and began wiping the snow off of it. A few seconds later, he moved back into the car and wiped the snow off his face. He threw the rag out of the window and rolled the window back up.

Alpha looked over the seat and glanced at Rigby. He had hoped that cutting off the arm would've saved Rigby, but he was wrong.

He turned back to the front and sighed.

"We're almost there…" He said to himself.

_Meanwhile_

"_Due to the snowstorm that has recently begun, we've shut down access to the gate. Curfew begins early tonight, so everyone can get to bed earlier, and so the soldiers that protect us can get more time to check out the surroundings. Once the snowstorm is over, the soldiers will be taking over Swan Valley." _A lady over an intercom spoke.

Eileen rested against a wall while she continued to speak. _"And due to recent attacks, we've had to tighten security around the haven, and we're sure all of you will understand. Thank you for listening and have a wonderful day." _She finished.

Eileen shook her head. "'Have a wonderful day'." Eileen scoffed. "As if that would be possible." She frowned. The mole noticed a soldier approaching her.

"Hey Eileen. Do you mind doing me a favour?" The soldier asked.

"Sure Ben, what do you need?" She asked.

"I just needed some advice." Ben replied.

"What about?" Eileen asked, folding her arms. She adjusted her glasses and waited for an answer.

"We've only got two beds left. And that means we only have two more spaces for people." Ben began.

"And each time we have to send people away, it becomes harder and harder. I'm not sure if we can do it anymore." Ben continued.

"What I'm askin' is…what can we do with the expansion?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Eileen asked, confused by the question.

"I mean, when the expansion is completed, should we allow more people to come in? I mean, food is already a pretty big issue." Ben shrugged.

"We could use the expansion as just a storage area until we've gathered enough food for more people." Eileen suggested. "Then we could invite more people inside." She added.

"That's a good idea…I'll have to speak to Will about it." Ben replied. "Thanks Eileen." He smiled at her.

"No problem." She smiled back.

"You should probably get back to your tent before curfew begins." Ben suggested. Eileen nodded. "Goodnight Eileen." Ben said as he walked off.

Eileen slowly trudged to her tent and saw HFG on the bottom bunk. "Hey." She greeted.

"I was wondering where you were." HFG turned over to face her. "What time is it?" He asked.

"It's just after four. But curfew begins early due to the snow-storm." Eileen replied.

"Snow-storm? Wasn't it clear like an hour ago?" HFG asked.

"You've been in here for four hours." Eileen said. "The snow-storm began sometime in the previous hour." Eileen added. "Not sure when though." She shrugged.

"We should get some sleep." HFG said, looking over at her. Eileen nodded and walked over to the bed. She slowly climbed up the bed and she threw herself onto the top bunk.

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in a while." She muttered. "Let's hope tonight's a quiet night." She said, in a louder voice.

"It better be, I'm freakin' exhausted." HFG sighed.

"Alright, goodnight." Eileen said, covering herself with the covers and turning over.

"'Night." HFG replied, closing his eyes.

Eileen closed her eyes aswell. She turned back over and looked up at the roof of the tent. She yawned and closed her eyes.

A few seconds later, she fell into deep sleep.

**Sorry for the crappy chapter, but I thought I would do another one really quickly so you guys can enjoy it. Please Review! There's only one chapter to go, and after that, it's over. I will let some time pass before I type the final chapter up.**

**Thanks so much for all the support guys, I won't forget it anytime soon. I love all of you so much!**

**~RSM**


	26. Episode Twenty Six: Stay Close to Me

**A Regular Outbreak**

**Season Five: Dead Man Walking**

**Final Episode: Stay Close to Me**

**May 17****th****, 2024, Evening**

**5:45PM**

"Can you hand me the bottle?" Mordecai asked, his voice cracking slightly. The group were closing in on Swan Valley and Rigby's condition was worsening by the second. Luke reached over to the bird's bag and pulled out a bottle of water. He handed it to Mordecai. "Thanks." Mordecai thanked him.

He held Rigby in his arms. He raised the top of the bottle to Rigby's lips. He emptied the rest of the bottle into his mouth. "Thanks…" Rigby quietly said, cracking a small smile.

Mordecai smiled right back at him, trying to keep things between them positive. Meanwhile, in the front seat, Alpha tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Five miles out." Alpha announced, as they passed another sign.

"What's the plan when we get there?" Alpha asked. "We can't just go driving in." He added.

"Not sure." Mordecai honestly replied. "But we need to find the haven. It's not like they'd leave a sign saying where it is." Mordecai added.

"Good point." Alpha replied. He thought for a moment, before speaking again. "We're four miles out." He announced.

"Okay…get ready." Mordecai said. He looked at the two kids and nodded. "Get your things ready. Because when we get there, we're not returning to the truck." Mordecai explained.

Sean nodded wearily. He reached over the front seat and grabbed his backpack. He moved forward a little bit and put it on. He put his arms through the straps and sat back into the seat. Luke mirrored his actions, while Mordecai stared intently at Rigby.

"You'll be alright…" Mordecai whispered, cradling his smaller companion. "I promise…" He added. He rested his head on Rigby's shoulder.

"Three miles." Alpha announced again. "Sean, throw my backpack into the front seat, would you?" Alpha asked. Sean nodded and reached for the wolf's backpack. He picked it up and heaved it into the front seat.

"Thanks kid." Alpha replied, moving forward a little. He put on his backpack and adjusted his position on the seat.

Luke eyed Sean for a moment. He was having his doubts that they would make it to the haven alive.

"Two miles." Alpha announced. The truck suddenly began slowing down, and odd sounds emitted from under the car. "What the?" Alpha looked over at the fuel gage. It had completely depleted.

"Damn it!" He cursed, smashing his fist onto the dashboard. The truck soon came to a stop.

"What happened?" Mordecai asked, peering over the front seat.

"We ran out of fuel." Alpha answered. "Looks like we're going on foot." He sighed. He opened the driver's side door and jumped out. He was suddenly greeted with clumps of snow being thrown at him.

Luke and Sean exited the car and approached Alpha at the front of the truck. "This is the biggest snow-storm I've seen in a long time." Alpha said, looking at his surroundings.

Alpha trudged over to the back door of the truck and opened it. Mordecai slowly stepped out of the truck with Rigby. "Do you mind carrying his backpack?" Mordecai asked, eyeing Rigby's backpack, which he'd left on the back seat.

"No, I wouldn't." Alpha replied. He reached into the car and pulled out the small backpack. He shut the door and looked over at Rigby. "He's gonna freeze to death." Alpha said.

Mordecai looked down at Rigby, who was shivering vigorously, even _with_ his jacket on. "Is there anything we can give him?" Mordecai asked.

"Only our jackets, and we can't take them off." Alpha answered. "Just try to cover him from the storm." Alpha added.

"I will." Mordecai wrapped his wings around the raccoon. Mordecai shivered. "Let's get moving…" He said. Alpha nodded and he began walking down the road.

Visibility was extremely low, due to the snow-storm, so they just had to follow the road until they reach Swan Valley. "Just keep to the road, and we won't get lost." Alpha said.

"I would, if I knew where it was." Sean commented. The snow had covered the road, so it made it almost impossible to follow it.

"Just keep moving forward, we'll eventually hit the town." Alpha replied. The four survivors trudged through the snow. A few minutes passed, before Rigby started to cough again.

"God..." Mordecai wiped the blood off of Rigby's mouth. "We need to move faster." Mordecai said.

"I know." Alpha sighed. He crossed his arms and shivered a little. He noticed a sign a few feet in front of them. He approached the sign and attempted to read it.

It was covered with snow. Alpha used his arm to brush the snow off of the sign. "One mile." He read. "Perfect." He added.

"Only one mile?" Sean asked, approaching him.

"It also says that there is a turn off half a mile up the road." He said. "To a gas station. We should probably check that out." He suggested.

"Agreed." Mordecai agreed with him. "We should get moving then, we don't want to be out here for too long." He added.

Alpha nodded and began trudging through the snow again. Soon enough, they approached a turn off. They followed the turn off for a few minutes and eventually made it to the gas station.

"Perfect." Mordecai muttered. The sound of moaning could be heard nearby. Alpha peeked into the gas station and saw a few walkers eating somebody.

"What should we do?" Mordecai asked. "Should we just keep moving to Swan Valley? It's only half a mile away." The blue jay suggested.

"We can't risk it, let's just get to the town." Alpha said.

Mordecai nodded and watched Alpha walk back towards the main road. Sean and Luke followed him close behind. Mordecai glanced at the gas station, before catching up with Alpha. He shook his head and ran towards him.

"We're almost there hon." Mordecai said, running his wing through the raccoon's hair. "Just wait a little bit longer." He added.

The snow storm died down a little, and the group could finally see what was ahead of them. "There it is!" Alpha exclaimed, pointing ahead. The entrance to the town was mere meters away.

Suddenly, a red dot appeared on Alpha's shoulder. He took immediate notice to this and look down at it. The wolf looked up, but only had a split second to see a bullet fly through the air and pass right through his shoulder.

"Fuck!" He exclaimed, falling into the snow. Sean looked over at where the bullet came from and noticed somebody on top of a makeshift tower not far away.

"Up there!" He pointed, catching Mordecai's attention. Alpha had trouble getting back up and looked up at Sean, almost begging for help.

Sean wrapped his arms around Alpha's chest and glanced at Luke. He groaned as he picked Alpha up. "Help me with this…!" He exclaimed. Luke quickly ran to his aid and lifted Alpha's legs up.

"Bring him this way…!" Sean began slowly carrying Alpha with Luke to a nearby wall. They put him against the wall carefully and Sean surveyed his wound.

"Alpha, are you fit to move?" Sean asked.

"Just…just give me a moment…I should be able to move soon…" Alpha grunted, as he adjusted himself on the wall.

"I know you're there!" Mordecai heard somebody shout.

"We need to move…!" He whispered, as loud as he could. "Alpha, we need to go." Mordecai said. Alpha took one look at Rigby before letting out a short sigh.

"Give me a moment…help me up, would you?" Alpha turned Sean. The latter nodded and put his hands on Alpha's uninjured shoulder. Alpha desperately pushed himself up the wall, with the help of his smaller companion.

He rested his hands on a window pane and panted. "Thanks kid." He said, breathless. Sean looked back at him, his face filled with worry. Luke peered around the corner of the wall, searching for the person that'd shot his taller friend.

But before he could lock eyes with him, a bullet pierced the wall, only mere centre meters from where his head was. He quickly pulled his head back folded his arms.

"What now?" Luke asked, in a panic-like voice. Mordecai peered through the window.

"Smoke him out!" A different voice shouted. Luke peered around the wall again and noticed somebody approaching rather quickly, a Molotov in his hand.

"Go!" Mordecai whispered. He pointed to the window. He quietly climbed through the window, with Rigby in hand. Luke quickly leaped through the window after them. Sean lifted Alpha to the bottom of the window.

Alpha pushed himself through, with the help of Sean. "Go on!" A familiar voice shouted. Sean quickly followed Alpha through the window and slammed the window shut behind them.

"Where now?" Alpha asked, standing back up, with the help of the two kids. Mordecai scanned the building they were in. It was a two storey apartment complex. "Upstairs." He said.

Mordecai quickly ascended the stairs, with Alpha trudging close behind, with Luke and Sean helping him up.

"Go ahead, get up there." Alpha said, his voice gravelling a little. "I'll be right behind you." He added.

"Are you sure?" Sean asked, stopping in his tracks.

"I'm sure." Alpha answered. "Go…go on." Alpha closed his eyes for a moment. Sean and Luke quickly climbed up the stairs.

Alpha slowly climbed up the flight of stairs, only to be greeted with worried faces at the top. "We're trapped up here!" Mordecai exclaimed.

"I think I heard them in the apartment!" Somebody shouted. Footsteps began to echo through the café.

Mordecai quickly noticed a table beside the top of the stairs. He put Rigby down on the ground and walked towards it. "Help me move this, it'll block the stairs." He ushered Sean over to him.

The wolf nodded and approached the table quietly. Mordecai and Sean picked up the table and placed it at the top of the stairs.

"That ain't gonna hold, we need to find a way out of here." Sean said. He had a feeling that Mordecai already caught wind of that though.

"We…we might need to take a stand…" Mordecai said, reaching for his pistol.

"I'm not sure…that that is such a good idea…" Alpha coughed. "Maybe we should just hide…" He suggested.

"That won't work, they'll find us within seconds." Mordecai whispered back.

"Go on! Up the stairs!" Another voice echoed within the café.

"How many bullets have you got?" Alpha suddenly asked. He had changed his mind in a matter of seconds.

"Uhm…" Mordecai pulled out his gun. "I count six." He answered. Alpha went ahead and checked his gun aswell.

"I've only got three." Alpha said, putting his gun in the pocket of his jeans. "There is no way we can do this." He sighed.

"What's this doing here?" One of the men had climbed up the stairs. He began pushing the table out of the way.

Alpha pulled his gun back out again and aimed it at the man. He pulled the trigger and watched the bullet pierce his skull.

He fell forward onto the table. "Shots fired!" Someone on the lower level shouted. Alpha turned to Mordecai.

"Give me your ammo." Alpha said, running over to him. "I can hold them off." He added.

"There's no way you can do it on your own." Mordecai argued. "You'll be killed!" He exclaimed.

"All I'm going to do is distract them, so you'll have enough time to escape." Alpha said. "Now hand it over!" He shouted.

Tears were clearly visible in both of the adult's eyes. Mordecai gave in and pulled the magazine out from his gun. He handed it over to Alpha and watched him put the bullets into his own gun, by hand.

Alpha handed Mordecai's gun back. "I left two in there for you. Just in case." Alpha looked up at Mordecai one final time. "Also…take this." Alpha handed over Rigby's backpack.

"You'll need it." He said. Mordecai took the backpack and looked back at him.

"Find a way out of here." The wolf said, aiming the gun at the staircase.

At almost that exact same moment, Luke pointed at a window. "There!" He exclaimed.

Mordecai looked over at where he was pointing and noticed that the building beside them was just as tall as the bottom of the window. Luke quickly ran over and shattered the window with his elbow.

"Ouch." He groaned, pulling a piece of glass out from his arm. "We can jump onto the next building." He said.

Two more people began to ascend the stair case. Alpha pulled the trigger and watched the first person fall back onto the wall. The second one took cover at the corner of the stairs.

"This can all be easy for you!" Alpha shouted. "You can just go, and leave us alone!" He shouted.

"No way!" The second man shouted, firing a bullet from his cover. The bullet narrowly missed Alpha's ear. Alpha ducked down behind the table and noticed a brick lying beside it. He grabbed it and looked over the table.

At the second that the second person's head entered his sight, Alpha threw the brick. It hit him in the head, causing him to fall back against the wall, right beside his fallen comrade.

Alpha used the distraction to quickly put a bullet in his head. That was two down. Alpha watched as Mordecai carefully climbed through the newly smashed window onto the roof beside them.

"Hand him up." Mordecai said, dropping Rigby's backpack onto the roof.

Sean and Luke picked up Rigby and handed it to the blue jay.

Mordecai rested the raccoon on the roof and reached down to pick up Luke. Luke grabbed his wing and Mordecai pulled him up. Two more shots were heard, as Luke made it to the roof.

"Alright, now Sean!" Mordecai reached his wing down a final time. But before Sean could go, he looked back at Alpha, who at that direct moment was looking back at him.

He saw Alpha smile at him. Sean cracked a smile back at him. "Will Uncle Alpha be okay?" He asked, as he grabbed Mordecai's wing.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Mordecai reassured him. He pulled Sean up onto the roof. Sean looked over the ledge and looked through the window.

"Come on assholes!" Alpha shouted, firing one more bullet towards the stairwell. Alpha watched as the bullet went straight through another one of their heads.

"I'm good at this." He muttered to himself. He could hear a ton of footsteps under him, indicating that there was lots of people on the floor below him.

"Holy shit!" He heard somebody shout. "Ben, go up there and shoot him! We don't need any more casualties!" The same person shouted again.

'Ben' cautiously climbed up the stairs. Alpha hid behind the desk, holding his breathe. He waited until he heard Ben reach the table before peeking out from cover. He pulled the trigger and blood splattered all over him.

The bullet went straight through Ben's heart. He fell back down the stairs and stopped at the bottom.

"Oh for god's sake, put an end to this!" The same person before shouted. Alpha peeked out from cover and aimed at him. He had the perfect shot. He pulled the trigger, but the only thing that came out of the gun, was a clicking sound.

"Ha! I know that sound! Men! Get up there!" The same guy shouted, as he frantically ascended the stairs.

Alpha took one last look at Sean. "Alpha, come on!" Mordecai shouted, trying to get Alpha to go over there. But Alpha ignored him, he knew that if he did, the men would be aware of the group's location.

Alpha waved at them. Sean slowly waved back, before Alpha disappeared out of view. The people from downstairs practically threw the desk out of the way as they made it up the stairs.

"We gotta go!" Mordecai picked up Rigby and looked at the two children.

"But what about Alpha?" Sean asked, his voice cracking a little.

"He…he's gone…" Mordecai sighed.

"Where did he go!?" The leader shouted. "Fucking find that asshole! And bring him in!" He continued to shout. "Fan out! He has to be in here!" He finished. The group split up, with two of them approaching the open window.

"This way!" Mordecai whispered loudly, as he began running away from the building. Sean snatched Rigby's backpack and followed Mordecai across the roof with Luke. Eventually they made it to the end. Mordecai looked down and noticed no walkers or people below them.

He also noticed a ladder that was conveniently placed against the roof opposite of them. He put down Rigby on the roof and reached for it.

He grabbed it and carefully brought it over to their side. "Okay…I'll go down first." Mordecai said.

"When I get down there, throw him down." He pointed to Rigby. Sean nodded and watched Mordecai carefully climb down the ladder.

A few moments later Mordecai reached the bottom. He tapped the ladder to let them know the fact.

Sean and Luke peered over and used their strength to pick up the raccoon. Mordecai outstretched his wings and prepared to catch him.

"One…" Sean said, swinging Rigby slowly with Luke. "Two…" He said. "And…three…!" He exclaimed, dropping Rigby down. Mordecai immediately caught him at the bottom.

"Well done." Mordecai whispered. Sean looked down at him and nodded. He climbed down the ladder first, with Luke climbing down close behind him. Sean put down Rigby's backpack against a nearby wall after he got down.

"M-Mordecai…" Luke heard Rigby mutter as he made it to the bottom.

"Are you okay…?" Mordecai asked.

"If…if I'm being honest…no…no I'm not." Rigby coughed. Blood coming out of his mouth with each cough. "Can you…can you put me down?" He asked, looking up at Mordecai.

He eyes had lost most of its colour and Mordecai caught tell that Rigby was in serious pain. "We can't stop here…we need to-…" Rigby interrupted him.

"Put me…down…" He ordered, in as loud of a voice as he could. Mordecai shook his head and rested Rigby on the ground, right beside his backpack. Rigby immediately fell against the brick wall.

Mordecai knelt in front of him, while Sean and Luke just stood beside him. "We're almost there." Mordecai smiled.

Rigby attempted to smile back, but failed. It instead turned into a frown.

"I'm gonna die, Mordecai." He bluntly said. "There's no cure. There's no hope. There's no point." He sighed.

"I'm already dead." He frowned.

"Don't talk like that." Mordecai scolded him. "We can get help." Mordecai argued.

"Mordecai…you're…you're in denial…" Rigby coughed. "There's no way that I can be saved." He sighed.

"Unless you want a walker as a pet." Rigby chuckled a little. "But I think you don't want that." He shook his head.

Mordecai shook his head. "Don't do this to me man…you could be fine." Mordecai continued to argue.

"Mordecai…I…I love you very much…but I need you to hear me…" Rigby put both of his paws on Mordecai's face. "There's….there's no point in dragging this on…" He looked down at Mordecai's gun, which was still holstered on his hip.

"What are you suggesting?" Mordecai asked, following Rigby's gaze.

"Shoot me." Rigby bluntly said.

"No!" Mordecai shouted.

"Keep quiet." Sean shushed him. Before turning his attention back to the dying raccoon.

"I'm begging you Mordecai…don't leave me here to turn." Rigby begged.

"I'm not leaving you." The blue jay replied. "I'm bringing you with us, to safety!" He exclaimed.

"Well…I'm…I'm not going anywhere. So…you either shoot me…or leave me here to turn." Rigby's head tilted a little. His eyes slowly began closing.

"Come on…stay with us." Luke shook Rigby back awake.

"I'm…I'm trying." Rigby cried. "Please Mordecai…" He begged.

Mordecai's cheeks were stained with tears. "This…this is not possible." He practically collapsed onto his hands.

"I can't…I can't argue for long…do it." Rigby slowly spoke. Rigby outstretched his hands. He wrapped them around Mordecai's neck and pulled him as close to himself as possible.

"Just remember…you have kids to take care of now." Rigby whispered. "I'll be one less burden you'll have to worry about." He added.

Sean watched Mordecai move back. The bird stood up and looked down at Rigby. He touched his hip and pulled out his pistol.

"Thank you…" Rigby cracked a small smile.

"Stand…stand back." Sean said, moving back with Luke.

"I love you." Rigby spoke. His final words echoing through Mordecai's head. Mordecai watched Rigby's eyes close and his head fall onto his shoulder.

He had passed away, right in front of his eyes.

"I love you too." Mordecai muttered. He raised the pistol. He wings were shaking as he held the pistol to the smaller one's head.

He rested his finger on the trigger. He let it drag out for as long as he could, before he finally mustered up the courage to pull the trigger.

The shot rang echoed through the entire area. There were a few minutes of silence.

Mordecai collapsed to his knees. "I'm sorry…" He sighed. Sean and Luke approached him.

"We should go…" Sean said, as quietly as possible.

Mordecai got up after a few seconds. He checked how much ammunition he had left.

One bullet. He holstered the gun at his hip and looked down at the two children. "We're right behind you." Luke said, wrapping his arm around Sean's neck.

Mordecai wiped his tears away and reached for Rigby's backpack. He picked it up and walked down to the end of the alleyway. Sean and Luke quickly followed behind him.

Sean quickly noticed black smoke not too far away from them, towards the east. "We should check that out." He said. Mordecai followed his hand and nodded.

"Come along…we don't have much time." He walked onto the street with the two kids. "Stay close to me, alright?" He said.

Luke and Sean nodded as they began heading towards the smoke.

_An hour later, at the haven_

Eileen and HFG sat in front of a massive fire, along with a dozen other survivors. "I'm starving, I hope we'll get fed soon." Eileen said, rubbing her stomach.

"I'm sure we'll get fed." HFG replied. "Just give them some time." He added. Eileen nodded and proceeded to open her backpack.

She pulled out a small book and shut her backpack again. "Haven't you read that book?" HFG asked, recognising the title of the book.

"Yeah, this has to be my tenth time reading it." Eileen chuckled. "We really need a library here." She added.

"Heh, yeah." HFG chuckled a little, before looking back at the fire.

Eileen noticed two soldiers behind her, talking about something. They were talking loudly, so she could easily understand what they were saying.

"There was this massive firefight downtown." One of the soldiers said. "We lost a few good men, but I think they're all taken care of." He added.

"We should tell the commander about how many casualties there were. There aren't many of us left to protect the area." The other soldier replied.

"We'll just have to recruit a few more people. The more we recruit, the more soldiers we have. Simple." The first soldier responded.

The second soldier nodded, before they proceeded to walk to the front gate.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A soldier shouted over the loudspeaker. Eileen jumped at the sound of it.

"Looks like something's happening outside." HFG said, looking up at the makeshift tower – which was atop of the main gate - where the man with the loudspeaker was standing.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" He shouted again. Eileen looked up at him with a curious look.

"Hope it isn't any more of those bandits." Eileen shrugged. HFG nodded at her, before turning his attention to the gate again.

_One minute earlier, outside the haven_

Mordecai slowly trudged through the snow, still carrying Rigby's backpack in his right hand. He looked down at the two kids, who slowly followed him.

The blue jay looked ahead of him and saw what he'd been looking for all this time.

"There it is…" He said, eyeing the massive fortress in front of them.

"It's about time…" Sean stood beside him with Luke.

"You're telling me." Mordecai laughed a little.

"I just wish Alpha and Rigby could've been here to see this." Mordecai sighed. "Boy, wouldn't they have been happy-…"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" A soldier on a loudspeaker suddenly shouted. Sean jumped a little bit after hearing that. Mordecai looked up and saw a man atop of the gate, in a small make-shift tower.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" He shouted. Mordecai looked down at Sean and Luke, before pulling his gun out from his hip and throwing it into the snow. Sean put his axe in his backpack and Luke just folded his arms.

The man looked at them for a few seconds, before he spoke again.

"APPROACH THE GATE, SLOWLY." He said, lowering his voice a little.

The three survivors obliged and began to slowly approach the gate, just like the man had told them.

Mordecai was confused. There was no door on the gate, so how would they get in?

"LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT." The soldier said.

The bird looked to his right, and sure enough there was a small door.

"APPROACH THE DOOR WITH BOTH HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD." The soldier commanded.

"Why do they want us to put our hands behind our head?" Sean asked.

"Because they might want to make sure we aren't bandits, or whatever they're called." Mordecai answered. Sean nodded, satisfied with that answer.

The three survivors put their hands behind their heads and approached the door. A soldier opened the door and looked at the three survivors.

"How can I help you?" He asked.

"Uhm…we've come a long way…" Mordecai began. "We've lost a lot of people to get here…I just…want to make sure these two are kept safe." Mordecai moved his hands away from his head and put them on both of the kid's shoulders.

The soldier eyed Mordecai for a moment. "Give me a second, would you?" The soldier asked.

"No, it's fine." Mordecai agreed. The soldier nodded and carefully shut the door. Luke and Sean removed their hands from behind their heads and looked up at Mordecai.

"Will we be safe here?" Sean asked.

"Safer than being out here." Mordecai replied.

"Not safe enough." Luke sighed.

"Try not to worry." Mordecai shook his head. "You'll be fine here. You'll meet new people and make new friends." Mordecai smiled.

"And I'm sure there'll be a ton of kids here for you to play with." Mordecai shook both of their shoulders.

"Awesome." Luke chuckled.

The soldier from before opened the door and looked at the three survivors. "There is only two beds left…so…only two of you can enter." The soldier sighed.

"No…it's cool. Sean and I can share a bed." Luke said. Sean's cheeks immediately turned red.

"You sure about that?" The soldier asked, taken aback by this. Luke nodded. "Alright then…you may enter." The soldier fully opened the door and ushered the three survivors inside.

Mordecai looked around the area. He was delighted when he saw children running around, adults having friendly conversations on nearby chairs, and a dozen people sitting around a nearby fire.

However, two of them suddenly caught their attention. One of them suddenly jumped up. "No freakin' way!" One of them exclaimed. It was Eileen.

She ran over to Mordecai and wrapped her arms around him. "I missed you so much!" She squeezed Mordecai.

Mordecai didn't have any time to react before HFG wrapped his arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay…" He pulled away.

"This is…this is amazing!" Mordecai laughed. "I'm so happy that you made it!" He exclaimed.

Eileen smiled at him and noticed Luke and Sean hiding behind Mordecai's legs. "Sean…I missed you too." Sean ran up to Eileen and jumped into her arms. Eileen pulled Sean close to her chest and hugged her. Eileen put him down and smiled at him. Sean went to meet HFG, while Eileen approached Luke.

"Hello…what's your name?" She asked.

"I'm Luke." He quickly replied. "What's yours?" He retorted.

"Eileen." She extended her paw. "It's a pleasure." She added.

"Is it just you three here? Did you leave everybody else back at camp?" Eileen asked. Mordecai looked down at the ground and frowned.

Eileen's excitement slowly diminished when he saw his face. "They're…all…gone…" Mordecai sighed.

"What?" Eileen asked, her smile fading. "How?" She asked. "There were so many of you…" Eileen sighed.

"Not long after you guys left…Thomas died." Mordecai cringed at the memory. "Then we met Luke." Mordecai pet the kid in question on the shoulder.

"Axel got shot soon after…" Mordecai frowned. "Then Margaret got shot…Vivian was eaten alive…" Mordecai shook his head.

"What about Alpha and Rigby?" Eileen asked.

"Alpha…Alpha sacrificed himself to save us. He fought off waves of bandits to give us enough time to escape…" The blue jay wiped a few tears away.

"Then…then Rigby…god…" Mordecai broke down. "He…he collapsed on the way out. He told me to shoot him…to put him out of his misery…" Mordecai tried to keep his cool.

"And…so…I did." He bluntly said.

"Now…it's just us." He saw Sean approach him.

"I'm sorry…" Eileen apologized.

"It isn't your fault." Mordecai replied. "None of them died in vain." He added.

"They all died to get us here. And we made it." Mordecai chuckled a little. "And I'm just happy that these little guys got it here in one piece." Mordecai hugged the two children.

Mordecai approached the massive fireplace and sat in front of it. Sean and Luke sat either side of him, while Eileen and HFG sat close by.

"Thanks for not giving up on us…" Sean said. "It would've been easy for you to do." Sean crawled into Mordecai's lap. Luke rested on Mordecai's shoulder.

"Rigby was right…you would've made a great father." Sean said, closing his eyes. Mordecai's head drooped down. He rested it atop of Sean's, while Eileen and HFG watched from a few feet away.

Eileen and HFG looked at each other. HFG reached over and grabbed Eileen's paw. Eileen smiled at him. "I knew they were gonna be fine." Eileen muttered.

"I know Eileen…I know." HFG ran his hands through her hair. "But what happens now? Do we all just live here forever?" He asked.

"No. Not forever. But hopefully by next week, the soldiers will have cleared out Swan Valley, and maybe in a year's time, with all the help they could get, they could clear the whole state!" Eileen exclaimed.

"It has to end." She muttered. "It isn't always going to be like this." She added, resting her head on HFG's stomach.

"I agree." HFG simply replied. Mordecai ran one of his wings through Luke's hair.

"Get some sleep you two." He said, cracking a small smile. He looked to the left and saw Rigby's small backpack right beside them.

Mordecai carefully reached over and opened the backpack. He looked inside and noticed that there were only four things in there.

A can of sardines that Rigby had refused to eat, right at the beginning of the apocalypse. Rigby's weapon of choice; his hammer. And a small cassette tape with the words; 'Summertime Lovin'' drawn on it.

Mordecai smiled at that memory. He put all three of those items back in the backpack and pulled out the fourth item.

It was a crumpled picture. Mordecai flattened it out and looked at it with intent.

It was a group photo that was taken on their first day of working at the park. With himself and Rigby at the back making silly faces.

Mordecai shut his eyes and put the picture in his jacket pocket. He rested his head atop of Sean's again and sighed.

"It's gonna be okay." He said.

"I hope it will." Sean said, quietly.

Mordecai rubbed Sean's hair and smiled at him. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I hope so too…"

**A REGULAR OUTBREAK**

**It's over! Finally! After months and months of work, it's over! I hope you enjoyed this series, because this is the longest chapter I have ever written in history!**

**OVER 5400 WORDS! It's insane! Thanks so much for the continued support, criticism and everything else, it's really kept this story going.**

**Special thanks – AeroAlpha, TheSilentEyes, NightWatcher, Johnsepticeye, GearSolidSnake, RegularShow565 and everybody else who reviewed! I love you all!**

**Do you wish to see an 'After a Regular Outbreak'? Tell me in the reviews friends, and I will consider it.**

**Thank you so much everybody, without you, this story wouldn't even be here today. Have an amazing Christmas and a great new year! (2015, even though it's 2014 :3)**

**~RSM**


	27. We Meet Again (Important Message)

**:3**

**Well hello there, bet you didn't think you'd be seeing this story, or me again, did you? I thought I'd go ahead and redo this story, but not change anything. Except for grammatical, spelling, and other errors, including the pushed together paragraphs. And besides, maybe it'd be nice to see this story again? To read it one more time?**

**It has been about…a year and month since I wrote my first story…and I think I have progressed very well. It may not update on the site, but all of the chapters will eventually be fixed. So keep on checking this story!**

**Peace out!**

**-RSM**


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